October 26, 2022
Kingaroy resident Kathy Clegg has been putting “one foot forward” every day in October to help raise funds for an important cause.
The “One Foot Forward” October campaign is supporting the Black Dog Institute which investigates and promotes mental health.
Kathy said she was inspired to begin fundraising after losing someone very close to her this year.
She heard about the campaign, which coincides with National Mental Health Month, and simply decided she wanted to do it.
Kathy started off with a small aim, to raise $385 and walk 40km.
“I didn’t want to commit to walking too far and fail, so I thought I’d average it out at 10km a week,” she said.
But she need not have worried.
So far she has walked 152km around Kingaroy streets and raised $2223.
Kathy has been walking an average of 6km every day since October 1.
“The first day I walked about 6.5km from home and the whole way I cried,” she said.
“It motivated me. I realised that I really wanted to do this. The next day I walked 7.5km … I ended up with a blister the size of Ayers Rock on my big toe!”
When she first posted on social media that she was raising funds for the Black Dog Institute, her friends jumped on board almost immediately.
“Within a couple of hours I had passed the $385 before the walk had even started. I thought I’d better up the ante,” Kathy said.
“They were supporting me in my grief and that has been a real encouragement for me.”
Kathy hopes to pass the 180km mark before the campaign ends on October 31.
And she also hopes to boost her fundraising, with perhaps some last-minute donations from businesses around the region.
“Getting to $2000 at the weekend has given me the encouragement to get off my backside and ask more people,” she said.
- Donations to Kathy’s “One Foot Forward” campaign can be made online
