Each year, Good Works, Inc. raises funds to support its cause of assisting and caring for people experiencing homelessness in Southeast Ohio. As an organization operated solely through donations, Good Works relies on this funding for shelter, meals, staffing, insurance, supplies, and other needs.
For 17 years, the organization organized The Good Works WALK to educate people on the conditions of poverty and homelessness and raise enough funding to support the Timothy House – the housing shelter operated by the organization. The Timothy House is also the only shelter for people experiencing homelessness 8 rural counties in Southeast Ohio, according to Good Works’ Day In The Life website . Good Works need $180,000 each year and $500 a day to ensure the Timothy House is fully operational. At its peak, Keith Wasserman, founder and executive director of Good Works said, the WALK had 500 participants each year.
“In all, we probably had 50 different walk experiences from 2003 to 2019, but in 2019, I knew it was time to shift,” Wasserman said.
The last Good Works WALK was in February of 2019, but the organization brought back an iteration of the fundraising and educational event in 2020 called Day In The Life. The first two Day In The Life events were virtual because of the pandemic and this year will be the first time there is an on-site walk.
On Saturday, December 2nd at 10:00 a.m., people can choose to participate in one of two walking paths with the same goal in mind: understanding and learning about the causes and experiences of homelessness. Both of The Day In The Life paths will begin at the picnic shelter at 450 West State Street and then go their separate ways.
“We’ll have some speakers there who are former residents and volunteers,” Wasserman said. “We hope to have some surprises for everybody that’s coming.”
Day In The Life Walking Map by Good Works.
Good Works’ efforts to fulfill their mission are longstanding and go beyond the annual Day In The Life event. In 1981, Wasserman started Good Works as a senior at Ohio University in the basement of his home on Elliott Street in Athens.
After interning with My Sister’s Place, a domestic violence support agency in Athens, Wasserman said he started dreaming of helping people who did not have anywhere to sleep. With the help of friends and a professor, he was able to support people without homes by organizing places for them to stay. Since then, Good Works has grown to provide over 130,000 nights of shelter to people experiencing homelessness in rural Ohio, according to the organization’s website.
There are multiple ways being can get involved with the Good Works mission and volunteer to support the cause. First, people can donate to Good Works using this link or by sending a check to P.O. Box 4 Athens, Ohio, with “DITL” written on the memo. The areas in which people can volunteer for include the Timothy House, Friday Night Life, Day In The Life, Senior Friends, Good Works Property Maintenance, and more .
In order to become a volunteer, interested people have to receive a tour of one of the properties before filling out an application. More information on who to contact and where to go can be found at the bottom of this website page .
There is no formal registration to participate in a Day In The Life this Saturday; however, come ready to learn and participate! It may be recommended to wear appropriate clothing as the temperature will be cloudy and in the low 50s.
“It brings us together and helps us to make a contribution educationally to the community,” Wasserman said.