Walk With Me

This morning we took part in a very special walk to raise awareness and funds for people with disabilities.  All the money raised goes towards St Giles respite services.  We weren't sure what to expect as it is only the second time it has been held here in Launceston and we didn't go in it last year.  We were happy to see so many people turn up to meet at Civic Square for it.

 

 We collected our arm bands and balloons as soon as we got there and Harri's balloon very quickly took off to the sky which he was very exited about (and obviously planning right from the start as he had a huge grin as he watched it fly off).

Kobe wasn't so keen on meeting the St Giles mascot 'Giles' and stayed pretty close to us when it was around.

But he was so excited to meet the brocolli! He kept saying 'me like brocolli!'.

The boys had fun playing around Civic Square while we waited for the walk to start.

In true Noah style he slept all morning, and we were pretty sure he was going to sleep the whole way through the walk.

 

They estimated that there were between 1000 - 1200 people there.  It was really nice to be around so many other families and people in a similar situation to us.  We knew lots of people there, but were suprised as to how many we actually didn't know. It's always nice to be with other families who have children with disabilities so it was nice to be able to walk through the streets with people that we have spent a bit of time with over the years at either school, the school holiday program, or at St Giles.

The police had shut down a few of the streets around town for us all to walk through.  The boys thought it was very cool being able to walk where the traffic usually drives.  Harri kept asking 'are we going to get killed!!?'.

 Thanks for this photo Chrish.  It's nice to prove I was actually there :) 

It was only a short walk of around 2 km and ended at City Park.

Daniel Geale (a world champion boxer) was the celebrity ambassador for the walk and was so lovely taking time to say hi to everyone, taking photos and signing autographs.

At City Park there were a few different activities to do and a sausage sizzle, face painting and bubbles for the little ones.  It was nice to catch up with a few different people we knew while we were there. 

 Noah wasn't very excited about it all and slept the entire time! We had a few people come up to us and ask if he was 'Noah' as they had seen him on the 'Walk with Me' fundraising website as he was one of the top fundraisers.  For some reason he was listed under 'team fundraisers' and is currently the top team.  Go team Noah! :) We have been so shocked and surprised with the generous donations we have received, even from total strangers!

As soon as we left the park to leave to go home, Noah's eyes sprung open! It's usually the way when I pick him up from school too.

Thanks so much to everyone who has already donated to 'team Noah' for the walk.  We really appreciate it and know it's going to help provide relief and support to a lot of families in Tasmania.  It's not too late to donate.  If you can and wish to help you can go to Noah's fundraising page and donate.  Every little bit helps.