How far would you go to support a neighbor in need? More than 100 people joined together to go 1,300 miles for the Catholic Charities Mission to Move virtual event.
The five-day step challenge, which ran Aug. 17 – 21, featured exclusive Catholic Charities podcasts on topics like trauma, senior care, homelessness and poverty relief and prevention, important considerations in workforce development, the unique trials of addiction, and more.
By the end of the final day, participants had walked or run about 2.75 million steps and raised more than $4,300 for Catholic Charities. That includes the woman who topped the total steps leaderboard, Ellie Murphy, who managed a staggering 158,390 steps – more than 20 percent of all the steps taken in the week.
“I listen to books on tape, pray, talk on the phone, and listen to [the radio] while I walk,” said the former competitive marathon runner. “Plus, we have a dog.”
Dozens of Catholic Charities colleagues also pledged and pushed their step counts during the week, with Anna’s House Program Director Karyna Smith coming out ahead at nearly 91,000 steps.
“I walk every morning around 6:30 a.m., and then again at night,” Smith explained. “It has kept me sane during COVID. I’ve been really active my entire life, so this is not new.”
The event operated through a health and fundraising app called GivHero, which allows organizations to encourage daily healthy activity while supporting charities.