WAIM Walk for Warmth Goes (Mostly) Virtual

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Windham Area Interfaith Ministry is transforming its annual Walk for Warmth into a largely virtual event, with plenty of options for participants.

This year’s walk is scheduled for Nov. 22, the Sunday before Thanksgiving. It will follow the community interfaith Thanksgiving service scheduled for 1:30 p.m. in Jillson Square park in Willimantic.

As in the past, the walk will raise money for WAIM’s Energy Assistance Program, a fund that keeps electricity and heat on for hundreds of area residents living at or below the poverty line.

However, this year’s walk will feature some new twists and turns.

The interfaith service preceding the walk, usually held inside a house of worship, will take place outdoors this year—and also be livestreamed on Facebook. Following the service, participants will have the option of walking a two-mile route through Willimantic or designing a route of their choosing. There will be no live registration, nor a post-walk gathering, as in years past.

Participants will also have the option to take part on an alternate day. They may walk any time between now and November 30 and have their pledges counted. Those who opt out of walking can contribute by supporting another walker or making an online donation.

“As long as you register, you can support WAIM any day, anytime, anywhere, and with whomever you want, and still raise funds for our Energy Assistance Program,” said Victoria Nimirowski, WAIM’s Executive Director.

The need for donations has never been more urgent, she said. The greater Windham area, which has a per capita income that is among the lowest in Connecticut, has been dealt a particularly harsh blow by the pandemic.

“Widespread job loss and health challenges have created enormous financial stresses on families,” Nimirowski said, noting that unemployment in the Windham area is at 8.5 percent, compared with 3.8 percent at this time last year. “For many area residents, one unexpected bill can mean the difference between having a warm living space with electricity and having to choose between basic needs like utilities, heat, food, housing, childcare or healthcare.”

Nimirowski is hoping to improve on the results of last year’s walk when supporters raised more than $45,000 and helped 299 individuals from 119 local households. She is appealing to area residents, faith communities, students, civic organizations, schools and others to open their hearts and dig deep into their pockets.

“We are counting on your help more than ever,” she said. “Please, do what you can.”

HOW TO REGISTER

Registration for the 2020 Walk for Warmth is now open for individuals and teams, with two options for registering:

1) By visiting www.runreg.com. The website allows registrants to link to a fundraising page and make a personal appeal to friends and family. Participants may share links to the page via email and social media. Registration is $25 per person.

2) By visiting waimct.org. Registrants complete and print a paper registration form, collect pledges (checks preferred), and mail the entire package along with their $25 registration fee to WAIM at P.O. Box 221, Willimantic, CT 06226.

MORE ON WAIM’s ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

WAIM’s Energy Assistance Program has served as a safety net for low-income working families and individuals in the greater Windham area for the last 27 years, helping keep utilities on in cold weather. For more information, visit http://www.waimct.org/

ABOUT THE NEED

According to the 2020 ALICE Report, a study in financial hardship produced by Connecticut’s United Ways, more than half of the 8,491 households in the Town of Windham in 2018 qualified as ALICE (asset-limited, income-constrained, employed) or had incomes below the poverty level. For more information, see https://alice.ctunitedway.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/UNITED-WAY-OF-CENTRAL-AND-NORTHEASTERN-CONNECTICUT.pdf