By: MEGAN HAYES
Staff Writer
hayesmn@iu.edu
Each February, St. Margaret’s House raises awareness for their organization by sponsoring a one-mile charity walk event. This walk represents the women and children who walk daily to the House to access services, no matter the weather.
Kathy Schneider, the executive director at Saint Margaret’s House, chose to have the walk in winter for this specific reason.
“Eighty-five percent of the women who come to Saint Margaret’s House use their feet as their main source of transportation. It does not matter that the temperatures may be below freezing, and that is why we have the walk in the winter. We want people to step inside of their shoes for a day and experience this,” said Schneider.
Neovi Karakatsanis, the director of the Honors program at IU South Bend, invites everyone who is interested to join their team, IUSB Honors, for the short one-mile walk in downtown South Bend.
“The Winter Walk raises awareness about poverty among women and children in our community and serves as St. Margaret’s House largest fundraiser. Last year, through our service to St. Margaret’s, we helped raise over $70,000 for this amazing nonprofit in our community,” says Karakatsanis.
All students, staff, faculty and community members are welcome to join the walk. There is no cost to join, although donations are always appreciated.
This year’s Winter Walk takes place on Sunday, Feb. 17 at 2:30 p.m. The Winter Walk begins in the lobby of the County City Building in downtown South Bend and ends at St. Margaret’s House. There will be hot chocolate, cookies and popcorn following the walk. For more information, visit the St. Margaret’s House Winter Walk website: stmargaretshousewinterwalk.org.
St. Margaret’s House is a safe place for women and children to go when they are struggling due to poverty, domestic issues, and other family needs. At the House, staff members and volunteers strive to meet guests’ immediate needs by utilizing the core values expressed in the day center’s mission statement: “St. Margaret’s House improves the lives of women and children by providing individual attention to their immediate needs, breaking the bonds of isolation, and helping them acquire skills to better their lives.”
