THERE were tears of happiness, triumph and gratitude when Hannah Katz reached the Cape Reinga lighthouse on the northernmost tip of the Te Araroa Trail.
It took six months to walk from one end of New Zealand to the other, over 3000km travelled, and as of Tuesday she has raised $20,431 for children with hearing problems.
Ms Katz said achieving her goal was an “incredible feeling”.
“The last day of the trail was through incredibly wild weather, winds strong enough to pick up stones and hurl them at you,” she said.
“And there was surging surf along the beach.
“I arrived wet from the rain that morning and in tears of elation in front of a busload of tourists.
“It was incredibly emotional to finish, but also bittersweet. A gooey intersection of triumph, sorrow, excitement, relief, and elation.
“I felt the full spectrum of human emotions that last day — and felt incredibly alive.”
The real estate agent had not fundraised before this adventure, and said early on she did not know if raising $20,000 for charity by herself was possible.
“I was optimistic and hopeful that it would be easy for others to see the extensive impact the Shepherd Centre has on the lives of deaf and hard of hearing children,” Ms Katz said.
“I’m so grateful to the many people who donated.”
The Shepherd Centre’s director of fundraising and marketing, Nicola Norris, said the organisation extends its heartfelt thanks to Hannah for her “unwavering dedication and belief in our mission”.
“As a not-for-profit that relies on the generosity of the community, Hannah’s contribution will go a long way in transforming the lives of children with hearing loss and their families,” she said.
Ms Katz said hearing loss can be isolating, because it makes conversation difficult and can make forming strong connections with people difficult.
“As children, we develop coping mechanisms that get us through those situations that can be socially challenging — but these coping strategies aren’t always effective or helpful in the long term,” she said.
“The money I’ve raised will go entirely to helping deaf and hard of hearing children and their families understand this side of hearing loss, recognise it and develop skills, strategies and resources around dealing with this, as speaker and listener.”
Full article written by Jarrad Bevan available by clicking here.
