Dublin Simon Community Launches its 41st Annual 5km Home Run in Phoenix Park
Dublin Simon Community has launched its annual ‘Home Run’ campaign, inviting hundreds of walkers, joggers, and runners to complete a new Phoenix Park loop on Saturday 5th October and raise essential funds to end homelessness. This year’s event will host a Wellness Day Out at the start and finish line filled with food trucks, children’s entertainment, live music and wellness activities, encouraging people of all ages to complete the course and join the celebrations with fellow fun-runners.
Now in its 41st year, Home Run allows participants to fundraise for those experiencing homelessness while enjoying an accessible journey through the scenic Phoenix Park. The new 5-kilometre loop is perfect for all ages and physical abilities. Everyone is encouraged to walk, jog, run, hop, skip, or dance their way to the finish line. Previous years have seen schools, walking clubs, parents with buggies, wheelchair users, elite runners, active retirement groups, corporate teams, and many more join together to participate.
The first wave of participants will start the Home Run at 9.30am, with family members and friends encouraged to cheer on participants from the sidelines. The start and finish line will host a range of stalls and activities for participants to enjoy once the hard work is done, including musical performances and Dublin Simon Community’s Wellness Day Out.
Established in 1983, the Home Run has long supported the progress made by Dublin Simon Community to end homelessness. Since then, the event has been pivotal in raising funds to provide emergency response, wraparound support, and permanent homes to people experiencing or at risk of homelessness in Dublin and the surrounding counties. In 2022 alone, Dublin Simon’s Outreach had 6,371 interventions with people sleeping rough, provided 3,335 hours of one-to-one counselling and crisis suicide intervention, and supported 5,476 people and families across all services.
Interested participants are urged to register for the event via https://www.dubsimon.ie/home-run and begin their fundraising drive ahead of time. Those who register before August 31st will pay a reduced registration fee of €15, or €20 thereafter. Participants can also purchase a limited-edition t-shirt for an additional €15 or donate these funds back to Dublin Simon Community. All funds raised by runners and within the community festival will go directly towards Dublin Simon Community’s life-saving services, helping vulnerable people in our community close the door on homelessness for good.
Speaking on the 2024 Home Run launch, Dublin Simon Community’s CEO Catherine Kenny said:
“The number of people dealing with homelessness has continued to grow, with a 12% increase in Dublin in the last year alone. Now, more than ever, it is necessary to remind the local Dublin community of our goal to end homelessness for people and families each and every day. Since 1983, our community has shown what it is capable of. Every year at Home Run we see what happens when participants, staff, volunteers, clients, and supporters join forces. We have been and will continue to make a difference by helping people out of homelessness. We are reaching out to get as many people as possible, whether athletes or not, to join us on the 5th October because it is our time to end homelessness. With the power of movement as a community, we can show solidarity, action, and change lives together.”
It is our time to end homelessness.
Sign up for the 2024 Home Run here and help Dublin Simon Community raise essential funds and change lives.
