Poppy Vandermark will be walking 430 km in October to raise $10,000 for the Wagga Women’s Health Centre. Photo: Erin Hee.
A Wagga woman will walk more than 400 km in a push to raise $10,000 for a local charity that recently had its funding slashed by the NSW Government.
In July, Wagga Women’s Health Centre (WWHC) was told it would lose $600,000 in funding for annual domestic violence prevention programs.
This both angered and inspired Poppy Vandermark to do something “to keep the lights on” at the centre.
“I’ve done some multi-day hikes over the last few years that have really helped me build confidence,” she said.
“I’m feeling super excited to get on the track, like I can’t get out there soon enough. But I also want to stay humble and know that Mother Nature always has her own plan.”
Ms Vandermark has set up a Go Fund Me page for those who would like to support her cause and is already more than halfway towards her target.
WWHC President Vickie Burkinshaw appreciates her efforts at a time when there is a three-month waitlist for counselling services at the centre.
WWHC President Vickie Burkinshaw is still waiting to hear back from Minister Jodie Harrison’s office. Photo: Erin Hee.
“Now that we’ve got the new laws around coercive control, women are identifying their situations much earlier, which is putting pressure on our resources. We’re trying to manage by having more group projects, but they’re the types of things that we don’t necessarily have funding for,” she said.
“We know how much money there is in sport and gambling. So why aren’t we redirecting the resources into programs like our primary prevention programs to make sure that it’s not being adversely affected by those things?”
The centre has submitted an application for short-term interim funding, but is still waiting for a response from Minister for Women Jodie Harrison’s office.
Ms Vandermark has been preparing for her trek for months, and hopes it will spark conversations around domestic violence and inspire other people to donate and start their own social challenges.
“Particularly women who might be a little bit more disengaged from the kind of social challenges going on in our community,” she said.
“I hope that I can show people you can do something and that you should care about it.”
Poppy Vandermark will be off the grid for October. Photo: Erin Hee.
Ms Burkinshaw will also be “breaking out the hiking bag” and joining Ms Vandermark for a couple of days.
“I was reading Bob Brown’s Defiance, and it talks about why are we focusing on giving people medicine when the only medicine they need is the bush,” she said.
“We know a lot of our mental health issues are tied in with feeling that we have to be someone that we might not want to be. But if we tap into nature and see what’s going on around us, it’s really important.
“I’d really like to thank Poppy for raising awareness and funds, and to use her personal journey to also shed a light on the issues that women are facing in our community.”
Stay up-to-date with Poppy’s journey on Facebook. Anyone wanting to support the Wagga Women’s Health Centre can do so through the GoFundMe page.
