Standing up or even walking some steps without assistance is not yet possible for Whangārei 3-year-old Eli Barnes.
But that doesn't stop him and his family, including mum Jess Barnes and older brother Cameron Spanhake, from joining a Northland-wide fun run this month to raise funds for Whangārei charity Kind Hands Respite Cottage.
The Classic Builders 90 More Miles will see Northlanders running or walking a total of 88km – equivalent to the length of Ninety Mile Beach – on their local walking tracks.
Eli has a neuromuscular disease, sits in a wheelchair and cannot attend a typical daycare. Instead, Eli visits the Kind Hands Respite Cottage in Whangārei which looks after under 6-year-olds with disabilities.
Eli's mother said Kind Hands had made it possible for her to work to provide for her family and that she wanted to give something back to the people who are supporting them.
"Eli attends Kind Hands five days a week because of his neuromuscular disease. So every time we see an opportunity to give back to the people who are supporting us so much, we try to take it," Barnes said.
She plans on walking the Hātea Loop and other local tracks to complete the 88km challenge. For Eli, they are aiming at 88 assisted steps for February.
Barnes said it could be an assisted step a day, and on a good day Eli could manage five assisted steps – either way, it's a big goal for the family.
"It will be a nice thing for him to look back at when he is older," Barnes said.
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For families with children who have a disability or medical vulnerability, Kind Hands respite care offers the whānau an opportunity to have a break from what is often a 24/7 caring job.
Families can feel confident their child is with the kind hands of paediatric nurses and trained caregivers.
The charity also offers an early childhood education centre that welcomes children that may not be suited to other centres and offers these children what they need to succeed.
For Kind Hands Founder Sharlene Clements the work Kind Hands offers is a labour of love.
"It has not been easy," Clements said. "We don't do this for anything back, we do this just for the children. Funding has been the hardest hurdle we have needed to jump."
The Kind Hands charity run is organised by Classic Builders, and Northland's 91.6 More FM inspired by similar challenges have been run in other parts of the country.
"We thought we could do something just for Northland locals based on Ninety Mile Beach, a well-loved icon," Scott Coutts, regional manager of Classic Builders Northland, said.
To complete the 88km, participants could walk the Whangārei Hātea Loop 21 times, the Paihia Forest Lookout track 59 times, the Waitangi to Haruru Falls loop 15 times or the Kerikeri River track 25 times.
Participants are invited to register and donate at classicbuilders.co.nz/90moremiles.
To support the Barnes's charity run, visit givealittle.co.nz/fundraiser/90-more-miles-for-kind-hands?fbclid=IwAR0PkevzS8TNCroMml7AgkTw7ieLH4qNcDcTn4QE6dnbh9vkK1fr3bq6z9g.
