The Idea

Walk Hard 2010

Greetings,

We would like to begin by thanking you for taking the time to consider our endeavor. It is important to understand how we arrived at the point we are at today. Several months ago, we heard of an extreme sports athlete by the name of Dean Karnazes who was running 50 marathons in 50 consecutives day in 50 different states. As we learned more about this man, and his career, we were inspired to seek an opportunity that would push our physical limits as well.
In attempting to decide what this event would be, we came across several excellent ideas, but nothing seemed to be the challenge we were looking for. Then one day, as we were driving through Troy, we noticed a man walking on the side of the road wearing a Superman costume and carrying an American flag. As strange as it may sound, this man helped us realize what we should do. We would hike until we could hike no more, the coast. Our event would be called Walk Hard 2010.
As people began to learn about our plan, several were anxious to participate. Just as our walk seemed to get rolling, we hit a roadblock. A close friend of ours had expressed interest in taking part in the trip, but only to later be informed that it was medically unsafe for him to complete the hike due to his Type 1 Diabetes. He was disheartened but still wanted to be a part of the experience nonetheless. As a result of diabetes it was impossible for him attempt this event because of the difficulties he would face regulating his blood sugar and keeping his medicine on hand.
In listening to his desire to be a part of our event, despite his physical limitations, we felt almost selfish in that up to this point, we had only thought of ourselves benefiting from this event. It was then that we decided we had to find a way to use this opportunity to not only help our friend, but also help others of the diabetic community. As we had little experience or knowledge of this condition, we asked our friend how we might be able to help. Without hesitation, he informed us of a camp that is specifically tailored to meet the needs of children with diabetes. This camp is called Camp Seale Harris and is located in Jackson’s Gap, Alabama.
This camp offers diabetic children the opportunity to have the true summer camp experience. These children, who ordinarily live lives of caution and limitation are allowed to experience all the things they might not otherwise. Unfortunately, this opportunity comes at a price, about $700.00 per camper. We want to help ease this financial burden on these families, and we need your help.
This is where we need your help, we are also asking for donations of any kind, whether it be a per-mile pledge, a lump sum donation, or anything else that you might be willing to offer. No donation is too small. 100% of money raised will go straight to Camp Seale Harris. Our goal is to completely pay for as many campers as possible to attend. We will be stepping off May 17th from the square in downtown Troy. We will be hiking an average of 20 miles a day for 6 days for a total of 126 miles, arriving in Panama City, FL on May 22nd.
Our Team Consists of: Jacob Laan, Kyle Crabtree, Austin Bivins, Danuel Laan, and Ethan Brown.

"Walking for the Sake of Others"