Rock, walk for Athens' homeless
By Megan Helgeson, Assistant Campus Life Editor
January 17, 2008 | 1:49 p.m.
The Rock for the Homeless and Good Works' 6th Annual Walk for the Homeless this weekend provide opportunities to learn and have fun while helping out Good Works, which helps those in poverty.
Rock for the Homeless will take place at 9 p.m. to 12 a.m. tonight at Donkey Coffee and Espresso. There will be performances by Josh Landis, The (Victor) Rasgaitis Brothers, The Epsilon Project, Section Eight and Title IX.
An entry fee of $3 will be used to help support the Good Works Timothy House, a "shelter for the rural homeless," according to the Good Works Web site.
The Good Works 6th Annual Walk for the Homeless tomorrow provides another opportunity to help The Timothy House. The walk is a fundraiser that is an “educational experience intended to awaken,” said Keith Wasserman, founder of Good Works.
Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. at the First United Methodist Church on South College Street. The event consists of three different educational walks starting at 9 a.m., followed by a rice and beans lunch at 11:45 a.m. and a talk given by Wasserman.
There will be a Kids Walk, Myth Walk and Mini Walk as a way to include everyone.
The Kids Walk is a 2.2-mile course that takes the kids to one of Good Works’ shelters.
“The Kids Walk is geared to help children understand why there is poverty and to increase communication about poverty,” Wasserman said. Kids will have discussions with actual residents and will participate in activities such as a drama and a tour of the shelter.
The Myth Walk will wind through Ohio University's campus for three miles and stop at the New Life Assembly of God Church for activities, such as Poverty Family Feud that aims to illustrate the issues of poverty.
The Mini Walk is designed for anyone that would have trouble walking any long distances. Anyone participating in this walk will travel down the street to the First Presbyterian Church to watch a video and participate in a discussion.
Good Works challenges participants to find 10 friends that will sponsor them by donating $10 each. Fundraising packets can be found at www.WalkForTheHomeless.net.
One of Keith Wasserman’s main objectives is to educate the community about the poverty in the southeastern Ohio region.
Good Works recently asked the city to expand their program but was turned down.
“If not us, then who?" Wasserman asked. "If not now, then when?”
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Click here to read another Speakeasy story about Keith Wasserman and Good Works.
For more information about poverty in southeastern Ohio, Wasserman recommends reading "Blue-Collar Jobs Disappear" by the New York Times.
Find more information about the Walk for the Homeless.