Make plans to put on your walking shoes on Sunday, May 1, to help raise money for MEOC’s Emergency Fuel Fund for the Elderly.
The 46th Annual Walkathon will begin at 2 p.m. at Big Stone Gap’s Bullitt Park and proceed along the Greenbelt Trail. Registration will start at 1 p.m. The rain date is May 15. The Walkathon is returning to its traditional spring date after the 2021 event was held in late August.
The fundraising goal is $165,000, and the community’s support is needed to reach it.
Here’s what you need to do to participate:
• Get your forms. You may download them here or contact Emergency Services Director Marsha Craiger at (276) 523-4202 or mcraiger@meoc.org.
• Start collecting pledges. Ask your family, friends, neighbors, coworkers and others to support you in your cause. Collect donations as you go. Checks should be made payable to Mountain Empire Older Citizens. Raise at least $100 and receive a Walkathon T-shirt on the event day.
• You may also launch your own online fundraiser or make a donation here.
• Be at Bullitt Park, Big Stone Gap, on Sunday, May 1, for the Walkathon. Registration starts at 1 p.m. Turn in your forms when you register. The walk, which will wind about three miles along the Greenbelt Trail, will begin at 2 p.m.
MORE ABOUT THE EMERGENCY FUEL FUND FOR THE ELDERLY
Who it helps: The fund assists low-income seniors in Lee, Scott and Wise counties and the City of Norton.
What it does: The program pays for wood, coal, propane, heating oil or electric bills for those who are at least age 60 and are at or below 150 percent of federal poverty guidelines.
Where the funding comes from: The fuel fund is supported solely by donations from businesses, churches, civic groups, local governments and individuals. The program receives no state or federal money. No administrative costs are paid from it. EVERY SINGLE PENNY goes to help a local older person.