Inspired Adventures treks the Larapinta Trail with RizeUp to raise vital funds!
Mother’s day 2021, I returned home from an epic adventure to my two little loves and the man that holds my heart.
Trekking the Larapinta thanks to Inspired Adventures, has been awe inspiring, challenging, emotional and extremely rewarding. When I set out on Monday I vowed to trek for the many, many families we have walked alongside already and sadly the many more we are yet to..
I also made a commitment to myself that each day I would walk a little for myself.. to restore the fortress around my heart and my resilience to continue against odds that on some days seem impenetrable.
For the most part our group were strangers but as a collective we were united by our fierce commitment to creating better outcomes for the most vulnerable in our community.
As a group we were made up of 13 women and 1 incredible man... all led by Jack, the stoic German trekker with bucket loads of energy and a penash for reinventing accuracy around time and distance. In what soon became known as ‘Jack Time’ we were led like the blind through the palatial landscapes of the Australian desert. We woke each day to soulful beats from Jacks desert playlist and we were greeted by the expansiveness of our ancient land, of quartz filled cliffs looking down upon us as we refreshed in icy cold gorge water and followed tracks created and traversed by our original people.
Some days we were absolutely wrecked, our feet were sore, it was hot, we missed flushing toilets and warm showers. We missed our comfortable beds and loathed the bindis that found themselves in the most painful and awkward of spots.
Nicolle Edwards, Founder & CEO and Alison Daddo, RizeUp Patron
But,
We knew .... that the trek would end at the end of the day.
We knew.... that we would be returning home to be greeted with hot showers, comfortable beds and flushing toilets.
We knew... that our family awaited us eager to hear knews of our adventure and ready to wrap us with love
However...
We also knew...... that for the families we support at RizeUp .... they don’t have that same luxury of knowing that the hardship and pain they are experiencing will ever come to an end.
They face days and days of trauma and pain filled moments. As mothers, they watch their children experiencing pain and fear. They don’t know how or when their terror will ever end. They feel isolated and disconnected from their loved ones having been isolated by determined offenders driven by power and control.
Will they be safe? Will they ever be able to recover? Will they survive?
As a group we talked, we cried, we shared and most of all we vowed to continue the incredible work of RizeUp to create better and safer opportunities for families experiencing domestic and family violence.
To Philip Parnell, Debbie Kennedy, Carly V Nicole Rudd, Naomi Fowler, Jo Wormald, Sharon Barham, Tracy Kearney, Chantal Oosterloo, Jen, Ali Daddo Claire Willmott Weir, Nicole Cariolato, and Leona Reif thank you for helping me, thank you for believing in me. I will forever treasure this magical time we shared together. Thank you for raising over $43000 for RizeUp, for leaning in, for inviting your friends and family into this sacred space so that they could support you to reach your fundraising target. This money will be used to help another 10 families.. families who will treasure the warm embrace of new friends they will never meet. Thank you for your friendship and the care you had for each other.
My fortress is restored.
Yours in reason and justice,
Nicolle Edwards | CEO and Founder | RizeUp Australia| (Pronouns: She/Her)