Walk for Street Children (part 2)

Part 1 : read here

After a quick lunch at home I packed up all my stuff to be ready for walking myself.  I rushed back to ensure some parking space because those were rather limited and I photographed a bit more the atmosphere of many people enjoying a good lunch. 

Shortly after my friend from YAB arrived  who would join me on the two loops of the afternoon, together making up a 10,5km . 

As we left a glorious sun and blue sky came out, pushing out the foggy grey morning sky.  The third loop, the first loop we walked along, circled through the fields and forest in Bertem. It's an area I don't know at all and I must say I really enjoyed the landscapes.  But seeing the group of walkers carrying all the flags navigating in front of us in the sun, moved me. 

Selfie time

When loop 3 was finished we returned to the Warot where Beertje and his class friend and family had arrived.  They had to test the delicious crepes that the volunteers had baked and agreed they were good (wink wink).  

Arnaud Raskin, founder of the Mobile School organisation and of Streetwize

We snacked a bit too to have more energy, had an energy stop. By the time we were ready to get outside to go and check out Beertje and his friend doing some circus acts, the group was getting ready for the 4th and last loop during sunset. 

While the drumband DROM boosted our energy, we got our little lights out and got ready for a walk in the darkness. 

Our loyal security team of official signallers. 

And off we went.  It was quite strange for me to see a fairly little group leaving now. In our #duwmee concept, walkers join an ever growing group and the final walk always consistent of many hundred of walkers at the same time.  In the new concept of Walk for Street Children you can choose which loop you walk and how many.  So walkers that had participated in the morning or afternoon could already have left.  Organizationally that gives us the possibility to handle a much bigger capacity. But after 10 years #duwmee, it was strange to me not to work towards a big apotheosis.  

Nevertheless, the last walk was quite cosy in the sunset.  First we walked a bit along the railroad which was probably a boring straight stretch but now we couldn't see that in the darkness. And then we returned via many hollow roads towards the Warot but those had been decorated with little lights for us, which was quite nice. 

Often we had to explain those who passed by who we were and why we were walking with our lights and flags.   "oh are those drums for you guys as well?"   . Sure enough, from quite far we could hear DROM drumming throughout the village, waiting for our return and welcoming us back. 

With 10,5 km in my legs from the afternoon only  (I would total 20km by bedtime according to my fitbit), it was nice to sit down a moment and relax.  Jan and Kabouter had shown up to check out the atmosphere and he drove back quickly with 3 scouting boys in the car that needed to rush to their evening scouting meeting.  My friend also had to bike back and left fairly quickly but I stuck around with Beertje's classmate's family and the other volunteers.   

At the end of the evening, Arnaud could climb the stage and announce that all participants had gathered 36000 euro for this charity walk, not yet including the revenue from the foodstands all day.  That means that the new formula with a 300 walking participants had brought a bit more money than previous edition.  Later in the week we'd learn that in total we had gathered more than 41000 euro.  After a few years of decrease it was so rewarding to see that number rise again.    

And I threw in some last minute money in the jar to profit from a nice foot massage by one of the volunteers that has a foot reflexiology practise. 

On Sunday I chilled a bit and visited the abbey christmas market, but on Monday I joined the team in the office again for the clean-up which was finished in just a few hours.  Everything is boxed away , waiting for a second edition next winter. 

the big untangle challenge succeeded