Happy Holidays! John and I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. John asked me to provide this month’s update. It will be our last prior to our arrival in Athens. What an exciting win for the Aggies over LSU. John was at the game and I was watching the seven overtimes at home. Wow!
It has been a busy time for both of us since the last update making final plans for the walk. After discussions with John, we have decided that if you all would like to make a donation this year while following along on our walk please donate either to the Gary Sinise Foundation or the American Red Cross, North Florida Region.
The Gary Sinise Foundation supports our nation’s military and first responders. I was stationed at US Central Command and saw first hand the support the Gary Sinise Foundation provided to a severely wounded Army Sergeant when they provided him a new home with special features for his disabilities from combat related injuries. Gary does work all over the United States for our nation’s heroes. The link to the donation page will be posted in the next few days.
I also witnessed the support the Red Cross is providing in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael when I worked as a volunteer and delivered basic necessities to Red Cross shelters in the devastated areas such as Port St Joe, Panama City, and Mexico Beach, Florida. Many families not only lost their homes, but their livelihood when the businesses in these small towns were destroyed. It will be many months if not years until these communities recover. If you would like to donate to the American Red Cross, North Florida Region, here is the link:
https://www.crowdrise.com/o/en/campaign/the-walking-aggie
Links to both charities will also be posted on our home page. There is no pressure to give and we haven’t set a goal. We know that any amount will help and appreciate a donation of any size.
In case you missed last month’s update here is a repeat of some basic administrative info to help you follow along on the walk. Please take a look at our website, thewalkingaggie.com, if you get a chance. It has all the details of when, where, why, and how they will walk from Athens, Greece to Oslo, Norway. On the website you can see the planned route by clicking on the ROUTE tab. Also, the GPS tracking device John used on his walk across America will be used again and has already been activated. That device can be monitored by clicking on the tab WHERE ARE JOHN AND DAVE, also at thewalkingaggie.com. If you click on it now, it only shows John’s current position in San Antonio but will start tracking their position every 10 minutes starting 7 January in Athens. They’ve also included contact information, bios, and FAQ, just to acquaint you with their plan.
Since this is the last update before we walk, I also wanted to thank our families for giving us this opportunity to walk through Europe. Without their understanding and sacrifices, we would never have this opportunity. Thanks again to all following along and have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
