By Misha Noble-HearleDalhousie’s annual Homecoming already promises to be a fun weekend — but if you’re up for putting your feet to work, and helping a good cause, it’ll be especially fun.

The Tiger Fun Run/Walk, organized by the Dalhousie Alumni Association, is a free run or walk throughout the three Halifax campuses on Saturday morning. In addition to Homecoming attendees, members of the Dal community (students, faculty, staff) are all invited to take part.

“We have had great success so far in the registration for this event,” said Kirsten Tobin, the alumni officer organizing the event. “It promises to be a fun run!”

The event, open to all Dalhousie community and their families, was added to promote school spirit and add a fun, healthy activity to Homecoming that anyone could take part in.

“You can walk, run, stroll, jog or skip, if you would like,” says Tobin.

The Fun Run also teamed up with Walk in our Shoes, a free foot care clinic that runs every Sunday at St. Andrew’s United Church. Organizers will be collecting gently used socks and shoes to donate to the clinic.

Each week, homeless and marginally housed people can drop into St. Andrew’s (6036 Coburg Road) for supper and stay to have their feet looked after by registered foot care nurses. The clinic’s volunteers are largely Dal students, most of them from the School of Nursing and Dalhousie Medical School.

Making a difference

Colin van Zoost (MD’09) started volunteering with the foot care clinic nine years ago when it was mostly just a box of shoes and socks in the hallway of the church. Now, the clinic provides foot care for 15 to 20 people a week, as well as fitting approximately 50 pairs of shoes and 100 pairs of socks each Sunday.

“To be able to walk and to walk comfortably is something that we take for granted,” says Dr. van Zoost, who is receiving an award at this year’s Alumni Dinner for volunteerism in the community. “A simple act of a new pair of socks and a fitted pair of shoes can go a long way.”

The charity provides a service to people who, as Dr. van Zoost notes, spend most of their time on their feet and do not have access to the proper care: “[It’s] not only making them feel better, but also making them healthier.” It helps prevent further complications and makes a noted difference in their lives.

Participants or spectators in the Tiger Fun Run are encouraged to bring used shoes or socks to donate to the Walk in Our Shoes foot care clinic.