THE FIRST steps have been taken in a charity walk striving to cover the distance from Dumfries to Ohio.
Staff based in the region working for ProjectSEARCH, a charity which helps those living with learning disabilities and autism gain work experience, are aiming to complete the 3700-mile jaunt by the end of the month.
Each tasked with covering 500,000 steps, it is hoped that the final collective distance covered will be enough to reach the midwestern state where the charity’s headquarters is located.
Funds raised will be donated to the Calside Primary sensory garden and intensive care unit at Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary.
Interns with the region’s local branch — a collaboration between Dumfries and Galloway Council and Dumfries and Galloway College — are assisting with the coordination of the fundraiser by running the social media and collecting all the step data.
ProjectSEARCH job coach Greg Cameron said: “Our interns have been learning a lot about their essential skills over the past few months online with us. Whilst we had hoped to get them out on to their placements in the new year, that obviously was put on hold with the new measures brought in, but ourselves and the interns wanted to continue learning and possibly help a charity where we could.”
