St. Luke's School Walks the Walk with Inspirica

STAMFORD, CT – On Sunday, October 6th, lace up your sneakers for the inaugural One Step Closer to Home Walk-A-Thon! Inspirica and St. Luke’s School in New Canaan invite individuals, families and supporters to join a 5K walk through downtown Stamford to increase awareness about homelessness and raise funds for Inspirica’s programs. The Walk-A-Thon was organized by St. Luke's students in support of Inspirica's efforts to eradicate homelessness.

Over 100 walkers will take strides to bring attention to the rising number of homeless in our local community. Last year, a record of 16,000 people in Connecticut were living in shelters, including almost 3,000 children. A staggering 87% of the families have never experienced homelessness before. The Stamford/Greenwich area recorded a massive 45% increase in homelessness between 2012-2013.

 "The walk-a-thon is super exciting.  It’s a win-win-win event: it builds awareness about homelessness; it raises funds to run our programs; and, it shows that we are a caring community that wants to give back,” says Jason Shaplen, CEO of Inspirica.  “Of course, the big winners are the people who – thanks to the walk-a-thon – will now be able to move from the streets to health, jobs, homes and dignity!”

St. Luke’s School & Inspirica launched a strategic partnership in 2012 which focuses around two objectives; commitment to public service and increasing community understanding of Inspirica’s mission to break the cycle of homelessness. "The St. Luke’s and Inspirica missions complement each other perfectly,” says Mark Davis, St. Luke’s Head of School. “We have walked together since forming our strategic partnership. The walk-a-thon gives visibility to our joint efforts and purposes while bringing in much needed resources.” 

Interested walkers can register online at www.firstgiving.com/Inspiricafromhomelesstohome/walk  or by calling 203-388-0137. 

The One Step Closer to Home Walk begins at 12:30pm at Inspirica (141 Franklin Street, Stamford). Registration opens at 11:00am; the cost per walker is $25.00. All funds raised will go directly toward supporting Inspirica’s innovative programs that assist clients in breaking the cycle of homelessness and achieving stability in their lives.