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Run with #teamASC to help people seeking asylum

July 13, 2021

This September, you can be part of team Asylum Seekers Centre in the Blackmores Sydney Running Festival 2021. The 2021 Blackmores Sydney Running Festival is an iconic event with a spectacular course that includes a run over the Sydney Harbour Bridge and a finish at the Opera House.

Meg’s story

Stuck at home, unable to see her son and his young family, Meg Hirst spent her fourth Melbourne lockdown thinking about how her feelings of disconnect and isolation could only be magnified for people seeking asylum. This year she participated in the Run Melbourne, with the goal of making a difference for people seeking asylum living under restrictions and far from their families everyday.

A woman wearing a blue runner's singlet stands with her hands on her hips and smiles
Meg Hirst is running to raise funds for people seeking asylum.

With her husband and son joining the Thirsty Hirsty Team, Meg engaged their friends, family and colleagues to support the Asylum Seekers Centre.

“[People should] never underestimate the power of running. I’ve run all my life, but now linking it to a cause means you’re not running alone.”

To fundraise she recommends tapping into your community in ways that make sense for them. For Meg, this means asking her running group to support her fundraising efforts and posting on Facebook groups she is part of that champion similar causes.

“We can underestimate the power of our family”, says Meg, but together “we’re able to do something about what’s happening around us, and that’s pretty special.”

June 2021 newsletter: Covid-19 latest | NSW Budget exclusion | Nadira’s story Breaking: NSW govt announces $6m funds for temporary visa holders