CONDON — In the small town of Condon, with a population of around 300, the Walking Women of Condon started a fundraiser that raised $7,250 for military troops.
"It's just a group of women that come together twice a week to walk. We're people all over the world with all kinds of backgrounds and all kinds of experience and education, but we've come together with a common goal of community," said Marcia Tapp, a member of the Walking Women of Condon.
The idea started when a member of the group's son, who is in the military, was not getting paid due to the government shutdown. That's the group that came up with the idea to put out cans for the community to donate whatever they could.
"Hopefully we're an inspiration showing we're a very small town and we're a dozen women who did something very wonderful, I think sometimes it's really easy as citizens living our everyday life, going to work, to take for granted these men and women," said Grace Siloti, a member of the Walking Women of Condon.
The money was raised in less than a week, and it was turned into $50 Walmart gift cards.
"We decided to get them from a place you could get groceries, you could get diapers, you could get whatever you wanted and it just grew and grew and grew and the generosity of this community is huge," said Tapp.
The women think that no matter the size of the community, if the people put their minds to it, it can be done.
"It is a small community and when you hear a need, it just happens to be resolved one way or another and it speaks about the integrity and the appreciation that we have. Not only for veterans but for people who care for each other in a very small town," said Kate Lewis, a member of the Walking Women of Condon.
