For as long as the Hike has been going, so has Micki LeBlanc. For 19 years, Micki’s hands have been helping and her feet have been walking. A former Thrift Store Coordinator at Lazarus House, her involvement has shifted from employee to volunteer, and her passion endures.
“I miss the people here,” she said of why she comes back to visit the offices twice a month. “We used to dance and sing in the isles of the Thrift Store. Being here was never like a job.”
Each year, Micki raises at least $3,000 for the Hike for Hope. Her biggest year, she said, was 2014 when she retired. She raised $8,500.
“It’s like a mission to me,” she said. “To me, Lazarus House is the gospel alive. Jesus said ‘I was hungry, and you gave me food. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink.’ That’s the whole ministry here.”
You’ll see Micki at the front of the starting line come September 30. Her smile will be big, but you’ll notice that her heart is bigger. She doesn’t walk in the Hike for Hope for herself; she does it for the guests of Lazarus House, and she encourages others to either walk or support alongside her.
“Nothing is free,” Micki says. “This is a mission, one that we have to do together. It takes everyone.”
This year’s Hike for Hope will be on Sunday, September 30, 2018 at The Park on Bartlet Street in Andover. Registration will begin at 11:30 a.m., and the Hike will start at 1 p.m.
CLICK HERE to sign up for the Hike for Hope today!
Visit HikeForHope.org for more information