In July this year, Frances laced up her runners and completed her first half marathon. Not just as a personal milestone, but also as a celebration of how far she’s come.
After living with alcohol dependency, she is now sober and giving back to the Uniting services that helped her reclaim her life. “I started accessing Uniting’s alcohol and other drugs services because I struggled with addiction,” Frances shares. “I accessed a lot of their free services like alcohol and other drugs counselling, nurses, youth support groups and detoxes.”
Having experienced firsthand the life-changing impact of these services, Frances decided to turn her fitness goals into a fundraising challenge. “The most challenging part was just having the motivation to get up and do it, especially in recovery from addiction,” she says. “But the most rewarding thing is how you feel afterwards. And because I’m doing it for Uniting, for a cause I really care about.”
Many of Uniting’s vital services rely on the generosity of supporters to keep them free and accessible. Without the compassion and kindness of donors these programs simply could not operate.
“For people doing it tough, people going through addiction, people experiencing homelessness, it’s really important to have these free services. It can mean life and death for some people sometimes.”
Frances encourages others to take part in their own fundraising efforts, no matter how big or small. “To anyone thinking about starting their own fundraising challenge, I’d say do it,” she says.
“Every cent, every dollar will go towards making a difference in somebody’s life. There’s no amount too small.”
Register your own Uniting fundraising challenge. From physical feats like a run or hike , or a personal sacrifice like giving up coffee or social media, your commitment can raise vital funds for people facing crisis across Victoria and Tasmania.
