As we begin to depart from the hot days of the summer season and move towards my favorite season of the year, I’m excited about our upcoming Walkathon event on Saturday, October 19, at the Franklin County Fairgrounds. With the fall season comes the excitement of beautiful fall foliage, pumpkins, hot apple cider, and being outdoors to enjoy the falling leaves on a crisp morning walk.
This annual fundraiser for LifePath provides a great opportunity to get together with family and friends and to support our Meals on Wheels program, among other life-changing programs. Check-In and Registration will begin at 9:30 a.m. with our official start of the event at 10 a.m. This family-friendly event will have games, activities, and information tables from LifePath, as well as our community partners and event sponsors. In addition, there will also be music and entertainment, food, refreshments, and much more.
Meals on Wheels drivers play a key role in not only making sure that people have a warm meal each day, but also providing individuals with a valuable conduit to the outside world.
Personally, I love being outdoors. Whether it’s working on a project, or taking a hike, it’s important to stay active. Walking is such great exercise and is so much more fun when you walk around the track with family and friends by your side. So why not join us for a morning of fun, all in support of a great cause.
Speaking of a great cause, did you know that LifePath is also celebrating its 50th Anniversary and this event will kick off a year-long celebration of all that LifePath has accomplished during this time? This is all thanks to the tireless efforts of our staff, volunteers, and financial supporters that have come together to make it all happen!
For the past 50 years, LifePath has been that collaborative partner, that advocate in your corner, helping to assist and guide older adults, individuals with disabilities, as well as their caregivers. By connecting people to valuable resources and support, we help to provide stability by listening and sharing proactive options that allow people to make informed decisions that positively affect the futures of their loved ones.
As we approach the next 50 years, LifePath currently helps to support over 9,000 individuals on a yearly basis through the delivery of services encompassing over 40 different programs throughout Franklin County, the Upper Quabbin region, and parts of Berkshire, Hampshire, and Hampden Counties. These vital programs help to address a multitude of circumstances faced by our families.
There are some programs that you might not see on the surface or even be aware of, like Protective Services, SHINE, Adult Family Care, or our Hospital-to-Home Transition programs, just to name a few. These programs are helping families to navigate the many challenges faced in dealing with complex decisions on a daily basis. There are also programs that are more familiar and visible to our local community as well, such as our Meals on Wheels nutrition program, for example.
Through the efforts of over 50 staff and volunteers each day, meals are cooked and then prepped and delivered to over 550 people, Monday through Friday. Utilizing over 30 different delivery routes throughout the greater Franklin County, Upper Quabbin region, and surrounding communities, Meals on Wheels drivers play a key role in not only making sure that people have a warm meal each day, but also providing individuals with a valuable conduit to the outside world.
These important interactions provide a wonderful opportunity to check in with people, see how they are doing, and to catch up with what’s going on in their world. This exchange helps to build a caring and supportive relationship that people can rely on, and therefore feel more secure and confident in their independence at home.
Our Walkathon is our major community fundraiser that helps to keep our programs moving forward, so that LifePath can continue to have a life-changing impact on those we serve each and every day. These programs are made possible because of the financial support that we receive through fundraisers like the Walkathon and our many walkers that help to raise funds in support of our efforts.
So go ahead and sign up today. It’s easy! There are so many ways that you can help.
1) You can sponsor the event. There are numerous sponsorship opportunities available to choose from and the brochure is available on our website.
2) You can create your own walking team and each team member can collect donations from those they know in support of the event. There’s two ways to get started:
Option #1: Register through our website and click on the Fundraising Team Sign Up Button. Once you complete your registration, send an email to jofarrell@lifepathma.org to let us know that you registered. We can then send you your personalized fundraising page link that you can share with your friends, family, and colleagues. There will also be a registration link in the email as well to send to your team members who are participating that day, so they can register and fill out their t-shirt size.
Option #2: You can also choose to download a paper version of the donation form directly from our website. There, you can print out a copy for yourself and share the form with those you know.
3) If you or someone you know can’t make it to the event, but would still like to support our efforts, they can visit our website to make a secure online donation, or if they prefer, can simply mail in their check to LifePath at 101 Munson Street, Suite 201, Greenfield, MA 01301. Please write 2024 Walkathon on the check.
We look forward to seeing you on October 19 and we appreciate your efforts in helping to raise funds in support of LifePath’s impact throughout our local community and beyond. Together, we can make great things happen, one step at a time. Thank you!
For questions about the Walkathon, please contact John O’Farrell at 413-829-9211 or by email at giving@lifepathma.org.
