You can’t cancel kindness

When COVID-19 forced ALWS to cancel Walk My Way in the Barossa Valley, Albury/Bonegilla, Melbourne and Gold Coast in 2020, there were fears children in refugee camps might miss out on Australian support to go to school. Yet our Lutheran family managed to find ways to overcome the COVID challenge.

Walk My Way became Walk your Way and enthusiastic young people like Huon Stelzer from Rochedale in Queensland led the way. ‘I always feel bad that so many children don’t have anything, so I want to give back to them’, Huon said. He did a 10-kilometre walk and raised funds to support six refugee children to go to school.

Across Australia, more than 2000 students from Lutheran schools such as Tatachilla Lutheran College in South Australia and LORDS in Queensland stepped out in 2020 for Walk your Way to make sure young people in refugee camps could receive a Lutheran-supported education too.

The first public Walk My Way for 2021, COVID-19 permitting, will be held on Saturday 1 May in South Australia’s Barossa Valley.

Community Action Manager Jonathan Krause says: ‘We have set a target of supporting 10,000 children for Walk My Way in 2021.’ It costs just $26 to support a refugee child in school for one year.

Everybody can be part of Walk My Way in 2021 – walking on the day, doing it in stages, walking where you live when it suits, doing a Woof my Way with a four-legged friend, Wheel my Way with a bike, wheelchair, walker or pram.

Despite COVID-19 cancellations in 2020, our Lutheran family has proven we can find ALWayS find ways to step out together to bring love to life.

Register now to walk or volunteer for the Barossa Valley walk or sponsor a walker at www.walkmyway.org.au or by phoning 1300 763 407.

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