He walks 1,200 miles for homeless kids
He walks 1,200 miles for homeless kids
At age 11, Zach Bonner has already walked farther and done more for charity than many grown-ups. Now he's about to make good on his vow to walk more than 1,200 miles from Tampa to Washington to bring attention to the plight of homeless kids in the United States. The boy with the spiky red hair came up with the idea in 2007, then hiked nearly 300 miles from his home near Tampa to the state capital, Tallahassee. Last year, he walked another 270 miles or so from Tallahassee to Atlanta.
On Monday he'll set out for the final and most demanding leg of the journey, well over 600 miles from Atlanta to Washington. He figures it'll take about two months.
Zach expects to cover around 11 miles a day. Along the way, he'll collect donations and letters from people urging President Barack Obama to take more action to alleviate homelessness among children. He's contacted the White House about meeting with Obama, but has yet to hear back.
"I just decided I wanted to do something big," the soft-spoken fifth-grader said earlier this week.
Zach became a local celebrity of sorts at age 7 when he pulled his red wagon around his neighborhood collecting bottled water and food for victims of Hurricane Charley, which hit Florida in August 2004. He ended up sending 27 pickup truck loads of stuff.
Once he started helping people, especially kids, he couldn't stop. He put together and distributed about 1,200 backpacks full of toiletries, food and other necessities for homeless kids. Now he even has his own registered nonprofit charity, the Little Red Wagon Foundation Inc.
"My plan is to help as many kids as I can, have fun and keep it simple," he says on the Web site, www.LittleRedWagonFoundation.com.
President George W. Bush found out about Zach's work and gave him a Presidential Call to Service Award during a Tampa visit in 2006. Standing beside Air Force One, Bush shook the boy's hand and told him how proud he was.
Zach said he was inspired by a TV program about a peace activist named Mildred Norman, known as "The Peace Pilgrim," who walked back and forth across the country for 28 years. That's when the idea for the "My House to the White House" walk came to him.
"He told everybody before I had a chance to say no," said his mom, Laurie. "It's just him. It's who he is."
His long walk during summer vacation isn't expected to interfere with school.
A Tampa RV dealership is donating use of a motor home that Zach will sleep in and his mom will drive. His 21-year-old sister, Kelley, will be in a red Volkswagen Beetle decorated with the logo of his foundation. He'll try to get campground space and meals donated along the way. The trip is budgeted at $6,000.
The nonprofit Philanthropy Project has a film crew following Zach, too, and plans to make a movie about his life. British rock legend Elton John counts himself among Zach's fans and has pledged $25,000 to the boy's charity if he finishes the trek.
Staying away from the interstate highways, Zach's sojourn will take him through Greenville, S.C., Raleigh, N.C., and Richmond, Va. His progress will be charted on a Web site, www.zachtracker.com.
Once he gets to Washington around July 9, Zach will participate in activities at the Sasha Bruce House, an emergency shelter for homeless youth that Obama visited for a day of service before his inauguration in January. Some of the money Zach is raising will benefit the shelter.
"I'm excited," he said. "A little nervous, but pretty much excited."
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- Posted on May 8, 2009
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That kid has a lot of courage for doing that, but he did it for homeless kids so that is a great thing he is doing. He got a lot of money for the homeless kids. I think it was over $40,000 and that's a lot of money! 1,200 miles is a long walk and I bet his parents are very proud of him. That kid makes me want to go out and do something that helps people. I think that this is a really good thing that he cares more about other people not just himself.
That is so nice of him that he walk that long for homeless kids that is so good that he did that for them I bet that help the kids.
He is so generous. That is so nice that he did that. that must be a lot of walking a least we know that someone cares for kids JK i like spending time with little kids.
That is really nice. Not many people would do that. I bet his parents are really proud of him. That was also very smart of him to think of other people. Most people just think of themselves when they do things. But, this kid took it to the next level!
That is a very generous thing to do because I bet over half of the kids in the US don't do anything for the homeless. They just sit there and expect other kids to do it for him. But it would be even better if ever single kid in the US old enough to understand helped the homeless.
He is doing a great thing for the homeless. It's great that he has walked that far just to help kids. Other teens should be more like him! The world would be a much better place if we helped everyone else out.
That kid has a lot of courage for doing that, but he did it for homeless kids so that is a great thing he is doing. He got a lot of money for the homeless kids. I think it was over $40,000 and that's a lot of money! 1,200 miles is a long walk and I bet his parents are very proud of him. That kid has more courage than I, I could NEVER walk that many miles! I think that this is a really good thing that he cares more about other people not just himself.
THAT IS A GREAT THING THIS KID IS DOING....WHOEVER HIS PARENTS ARE I KNOW THEY ARE PROUD OF HIM. 1200 MILES IS A LONG WALK....HE HAS INSPIRED ME TO DO MORE CHARITY WORK
That cool that he cares for other kids. His really smart because lot of kids need a home to live and much of the kids don't have a home. That kid should be one of the most cool kids in the world. Thats really good that he cares for other people too.