Grant County Rescue Mission plans for annual Walk-a-Mile event amid low temperatures

By Andrew Scalf, Alexis Podgers, Emily Bontrager and Grant Flora

Coming out of freezing temperatures in the county, the staff of the Grant County Rescue Mission is preparing for their annual “Walk-A-Mile” event on Feb 21. 

“The idea of Walk-A-Mile is for the community to see what it’s like to walk in the shoes of our neighbors that don’t have shelter,” Natalie Broyles said. 

Broyles, the director of thrift, has a personal connection to the cause. 

“I was once there, and it is really hard. It’s cold. It’s very cold, especially during the heart of winter,” Broyles said. 

Offering support, GCRM opens their doors as a warming shelter once temperatures reach 32 degrees.

“We’re one of three places that officially do that in the county,” Brad Terhune said. 

Reaching zero degrees, GCRM then activates as a cold weather shelter. Individuals may come in past closing to sleep in a warm location. 

“It’s 24/7 so it doesn’t stop. We don’t shut down for snow. In fact, sometimes we get busier because of snow. And so everything that we can do together as a community keeps and supports that 24/7 thing that’s happening here,” Terhune said, “We don’t cancel meals, we don’t cancel sleeping times.”

Terhune, executive director of GCRM, has been a part of every Walk-A-Mile since his start at GCRM in 1997.

“You get a chance to go walk a mile for this, but then you can go back inside. They don’t get a chance to go back inside,” Terhune said.

The event is one of three annual fundraisers put on by GCRM alongside the Golf Scramble in June and the Fly-In / Cruise-In Breakfast in August. 

“I think it’s a lot of fun, but I think it’s more meaningful. I think it gets to the heart of the situation, because you get to experience exactly what our neighbors go through,” Broyles said. “And so I think it really tugs on some heartstrings. It does mine for sure. You really get to feel what the people went through or are still going through.”

Many from GCRM have experienced some form of need and use Walk-A-Mile as an opportunity to share their stories. 

“I would like people to see this place as more than just a homeless shelter,” Justin Adkins said.

Adkins, the new life men’s shelter manager, stayed at the mission himself.

“I was on the other side of the county for a while, and my whole life fell apart. Man, I was married for 13 years, and that broke. Just everything that could possibly go wrong, went wrong,” Adkins said. 

Coming back to Grant County, Adkins found he had no home to return to.

“When I came to the mission, the first time, I had never experienced a situation like that, or a place like this,” Adkins said, “Didn’t know what to expect. I was terrified.”

Staying at the mission, Adkins said he started to rebuild his life and regrow his faith.

“It took me quite a while, just being a resident here, to really understand what this place offers beyond a roof over your head and a bed to sleep in right? I mean, any homeless shelter can give you that. This place offers more, but you have to be able to recognize it and take some humbling to get there,” Adkins said. 

Now, Adkins serves others who were once in his place. 

“I think there are a lot of people who have never been here and don’t know too much about it. And there’s preconceived ideas, or stereotypes, or stigmas around the word ‘shelter’ or whatever it may be,” Adkins said, “But for people who come in here and find God and feel a little bit of humility and truly do want to make a change, this is more than just a shelter.”

This year’s Walk-A-Mile will begin at the Marion YMCA with registration opening at 8:00am.