Going for a walk?
Bill Stad hopes you might be, and so does Noreen Scott and the dozens of other walkers, runners and wheelchair rollers lacing up for the third annual Helen Sullivan Memorial Walk on Sept. 17.
The walk will honour the memory of Helen Sullivan and raise funds for the Houston Seniors' Housing Society—a group she belonged to and worked hard to support.
“She worked endlessly on community things,” said organizer Noreen Scott, a friend of Helen’s for more than 50 years.
“She didn’t make a big production about it—she just did whatever happened to be needed.”
Staring at 10 a.m., participants can choose to walk or run one or two circuits around a 5-km loop. Volunteers will hand out water along the course, and refreshments will be served afterwards.
The route goes north to 13th Avenue for a pass by a pair of senior’s homes built by the society.
Each home features a bright common area, geothermal heat and six one- and two-bedroom units.
“Our society aims to keep seniors here in Houston if we can,” said Bill Stad, another walk organizer.
“We’ve been here for years and would like to keep a group together.”
Seniors are also play a very active role in the community at large, he said. “There’s a lot going on.”
When the society has enough demand, said Stad, the seniors’ society plans to start building a third home on a donated 5-acre property at 11th Street and East Road.
Construction could start as early as next spring, he said.
In its first two years, the Helen Sullivan walk raised a total of nearly $8000 towards the project.
Route maps and pledge sheets are available at the Houston Leisure Centre.