Motivated by keeping active and staying connected to their community through lockdown, members of Warneet-Blind Bight Fire Brigade are taking on a step challenge and turning it into a brigade fundraising initiative.
The brigade began its involvement in a CFA Health and Wellbeing-led Six-Week Exercise Challenge, which will see five of their members work together to tally up as many steps as possible – having achieved more than 220,000 steps in the first week.
To raise funds for the brigade, participating brigade members Mark Konieczny, Jasmine Mace, Mellani Harris, Patricia Bourchier and Sandra Ramsay are encouraging members of the community to join them in the final two weeks of their challenge.
Community members who sign up with the brigade can seek sponsorship from family or friends and set their own step goals for the challenge between 4 – 17 October.
All money raised by the community will go to the Warneet-Blind Bight brigade.
Sandra said the brigade’s normal fundraising activities have been curtailed over the past two years, so they had to think of COVID-safe ways to raise funds.
“We all decided to get involved for different reasons such as to get active and healthy, while others just love walking,” she said.
“The main idea was that although we can’t get together at the moment, we wanted to achieve something together as part of a team.”
Normally, the brigade hosts two main fundraising activities throughout the year, however without the opportunity to do that safely amid restrictions, Sandra said it was important to engage the community in a healthy way while still raising brigade funds.
“There are lots of great walking tracks in the area and we want to give people a reason to safely get out on a walk.
“We have a very engaged and generous community and I’m excited for everyone to get involved and help our brigade raise funds to secure more equipment to protect lives and property into the future.”
Previously, the brigade thought up a Captain Koala letter hunt community activity to increase the brigade’s presence in the community amid restrictions.
“We placed Captain Koala signs around Warneet and Blind Bight with the aim for kids to find all the signs and spell out a message,” Sandra said.
“Each sign had a letter on it and by the end the kids should have spelled out ‘Fire Safety’.”
Every child that entered got a prize and the brigade supplied colouring books and pencils for the top three winners.
The brigade is excited to continue engaging the community through a range of fundraising projects, activities and challenges.
To sign up for the Warneet-Blind Bight Fire Brigade Step Challenge Fundraiser fill out the sponsor form at contact the brigade on Facebook.
| Submitted by |
CFA News & Media |