Walk for Warmth 2014

Spirits were high and the sun was shining as Adrian Noon Rotarians Dan Buron, Nate Smith, Barb Mitzel, Patty Clark and their families, friends and colleagues participated in the 2014 Walk for Warmth.  

 

Walk for Warmth is an initiative to raise unrestricted funds for utility assistance administered by the Community Action Agency.  These funds would only be used to help people that do not qualify for other types of assistance. 

 

Walk for Warmth is organized by the Utility Taskforce, a volunteer  group of representatives from human service and utility organizations:  Community Action Agency, The Salvation Army, Goodwill Industries of SE Michigan, Midwest Energy Cooperative, Consumers Energy, Housing Help of Lenawee, Department of Human Services and the Lenawee United Way.

 

As an example of how these critical funds are used, CAA Director Burt Fenby spoke about a couple with 4 children. The father is an over-the-road truck driver who had a good paying job. Mom was employed until a recent debilitating disease meant that she could no longer drive or continue working. Her husband had to quit his good-paying job to be closer to home to help his wife and children. While he now has a new job lined up that allows him to be home nights, it doesn’t pay like his previous job and now the family is down to one income. The medical bills have piled up in the meantime and they are behind on their bills. Further compounding their difficult situation is the higher than normal utility bills as a result of our harsh winter.

 

This family reached out to CAA but their income from last year was just a bit too high to qualify for any federal or state assistance.  Their current iincome situation is far different from where they were last year and so CAA was unable to assist them through traditional programs.

Fenby states that because of Walk for Warmth dollars, helping them catch up on their utility bills and having heat in their home will be one worry that they don’t have to have while navigating this life-altering circumstance.

While final numbers are not yet available, Fenby reported that we have raised more than $30,000 this year which will help more than 70 families that would not otherwise be able to be helped.  Last year’s inaugural event raised $19,000 and assisted 53 families in Lenawee County with utility assistance.

 

Thank you to the Adrian Noon Rotary Club for contributing $500 toward this effort.  As a result of this contribution, Barb Mitzel was able to get a 2 for 1 match from Consumers Energy on this donation which means that Rotary's donation was leveraged to $1500.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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