Maurice A. Bloem is walking 25 miles in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, as part of his annual 100-mile walk, which will take place in New Mexico, Arizona and California on Oct. 17-22 So who is Maurice Bloem, you ask? He is executive vice president at Church World Service, and he has walked 100 miles each of the past four years He is walking to (1) to raise awareness of global hunger, (2) to celebrate and promote volunteerism, and (3) to raise funds to end hunger. During the first three years of the walk, Maurice raised nearly $25,000 from global supporters for CWS and its partner organizations around the world.
The 100-Mile Hunger Walk has previously been held in Southern California, Northern California, the Upper Midwest, and the East Coast. Maurice chose to bring the walk to the Southwest in 2016, and is set to walk the streets of Albuquerque on Monday, October 17. He will do the same in Santa Fe on Tuesday, October 18. He will then travel on to Arizona and California.
The Albuquerque walk is set to start and end at Faith Lutheran Church, 10000 Spain NE (Map).
Here is an approximate map of the 15-mile route he will follow in the Duke City.
The 10-mile route in Santa Fe is not defined yet. However, Lenann Gardner, coordinator of the New Mexico portions of the walk, is working with the Church of Antioch and others to determine the path that Maurice will follow in the City Different on October 18. Stay Tuned.
Maurice has also made a point to visit food banks, shelters, youth centers and other service provides in the communities where he has walked. This is part of the goal of celebrating and promoting volunteerism while also highlighting the local hunger needs. Stay tuned for information of which sites he will visit in Albuquerque and Santa Fe.
Walk with Maurice!
So how can you support Maurice and Church World Service?
Donate. Pledge online or bring a check made out to Church World Service to Albuquerque and Santa Fe Walks or to a dinner hosted by Lenann Gardner on Sunday evening at her home, 649 Cougar Loop NE (map) at 6:00 p.m. For more information, call her at 505.250.3355 or send her an e-mail (LenannMG@gmail.com). In addition to her role of coordinator of Albuquerque and Santa Fe activities, Lenann is a member of the CWS board of directors.
Yes, you are welcome and encouraged to join Maurice for all or parts of the walks in Albuquerque and Santa Fe. CWS board members, small business owners, local nonprofit leaders, students, and activists have joined him for parts of his walks in 2012-2015. (The video below is from George Flowers, who joined Maurice in the 2012 walk in Southern California).
If you walk with Maurice, get your own pledges, especially since there are no CROP Walks scheduled in Albuquerque or Santa Fe in 2016. Also, support walkers or churches participating in upcoming CROPS Walks in New Mexico: Gallup on Oct. 16, Las Vegas on Oct. 22, Carlsbad on Nov. 12, and Los Alamos on Nov. 20. Four Corners had had its walk on Oct. 1, and Durango, Colorado, on April 9)
Spreading the Word
Another important step for the walk is to create publicity. Maurice has been interviewed by local NBC and FOX news stations, newspapers, and radio stations about the 100 Mile Hunger Walk (and hopefully our three TV stations, the Albuquerque Journal, The New Mexican and the radio stations will interview him).
There is also social media. Maurice’s personal Twitter account has surpassed 9,000 followers, largely as a result of publicity from the 100 Mile Hunger Walk He shares his adventures with more than 10,700 Twitter followers: @mauricebloem and @100milehunger You could also follow Maurice on Twitter and retweet and/or like his tweets. Use the hashtag #Hunger100 on Facebook or Twitter. (Like the 100 Mile Hunger Walk page on Facebook).
Here is one of his most recent tweets.
Why millions more will go hungry in 2016 IF WE DON'T ACT NOW! https://t.co/rsy9ZuHYU7 #endhunger #ElNino @CWS_global pic.twitter.com/3FkIj4hWUj— maurice bloem (@mauricebloem) January 6, 2016
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