Like many organizations and businesses, Homes of Hope for Children in Purvis has felt the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The organization, which currently houses 24 children, has seen financial strains since all of its income comes from donations, and its major fundraisers have been rescheduled due to the virus.
The Si Robertson Sporting Clay Competition, the organization’s largest fundraiser, has been rescheduled to Oct. 29, and officials hope their current fundraiser – a virtual Walk-a-Thon – will gain the support of the community and provide much-needed financial assistance. The walk-a-thon challenges kids, families, clubs and organizations to raise money through collected pledges and completing a “50 Miles in 50 Days” challenge.
“From an operational standpoint, when you think about the number of children that live here on campus along with the house parents, normally ... they are in school every day,” said Julie Russell, the organization’s director of public relations. “Because the pandemic and the lockdown started right on the heels of spring break, we went from normally having all of our children in school to having them home in their houses on the campus every day. That alone had an immediate impact, for example, on our commissary. All of a sudden, you are going through a lot more food and supplies like bottled water, paper towels, detergent ... and all of those things, including utilities.”
Because of economic hardships caused by the pandemic, regular donations have decreased, which has added further strain to the organization’s finances.
“Our biggest needs right now are food, clothing and supplies ... things they just need for daily living,” she said. “Normally, also, we have several food and supply drives. Churches will also help with donations. Since churches are not meeting, we haven’t had donations, so there is more outlay of money that we need to get us through. Many businesses are closed, and so many people are unemployed ... and it has been a very uncertain time for people.”
Those uncertainties have affected the organization, which relies 100 percent on donations.
“We don’t take any funding from the state, so every penny we collect comes from sacrificial money from our donors,” said Russell.
Dr. Michael Garrett, executive director, said the most substantial amount of the organization’s income comes from the clay shoot, which has between 400-500 attendees.
“We postponed our skeet shoot to October, and it’s not guaranteed that’s going to happen ... and we canceled our auction,” he said. “Between those events, that’s $330,000 lost, so our thought process was finding fundraisers we can do. That’s how we started talking about the miles challenge. It will help us out a little bit and try to keep our kids active and give the children something to achieve.”
The idea of the virtual event came from Garrett, who reflected on his own experiences from growing up in a Baptist children’s home in Monroe, Louisiana.
“We basically did this every summer,” he said. “We did this 50-mile club, and all the kids on campus and house parents were involved. If you walked 50 miles, you got a shirt. As we were dealing with the pandemic, I remembered the 50-mile club, and we brainstormed to do 50 miles over the course of the summer. The ‘50 Miles in 50 Days’ challenge just sounded really good.”
The 50-mile challenge can be completed by walking, jogging, running or riding a bike, skateboard or scooter. There will be prizes awarded for the most pledges collected.
“The challenge, which started last Friday, provides an opportunity for family and friends to be part of a community effort all across the Pine Belt to get outside, enjoy the fresh air and raise money to support the daily needs of the kids at Homes of Hope,” said Garrett.
The organization’s kids are all participating and are seeking pledges for each mile they complete.
“Dr. Garrett has issued a challenge to the kids, and if each one completes the challenge, they will be treated to a special activity,” said Brandon Brown, director.
The challenge runs through July 31. Participants are encouraged to track their progress using the mileage tracker sheets available online, and share photos of their participation on social media using the hashtag #50mileclub.
Registration is free and ongoing. More information can be found at www.50mileclub.org.
Homes of Hope for Children aspires to be the first placement for disadvantaged boys and girls in need of safe, stable homes throughout the state. The majority of the organization’s children come from within an 90-mile radius of Purvis.
