Why I do it.
What would posses me to walk some 2,175 miles on a worn muddy path which so many before have conquered and many after will tread forward upon. Why do I make the choice to “postpone life”, is it to escape responsibility, to find myself, to learn, to seek adventure, or to prove myself as a man? I think this question is very valid, why walk? Why do it? These questions lie heavily upon me, because I feel it is important to have purpose in any endeavor you pursue.
I have in my lifetime been given a plethora of opportunity and good fortunate and because of this I have been able to purse an education of my desire and push my mental abilities. At twenty-three most people find themselves pursuing graduate school, a career, family or a combination of the following. I have however made a conscious and deliberate decision to avoid what might seem like the obvious next into a young professional lifestyle and have instead selected a life of isolate and discomfort, through an emersion within nature. For half a year I will walk, pushing forward, from Georgia to Maine through thirteen states over the hills of the Appalachian Mountain Chain. Starting March 5th I will start my journey north walk forward through the seasons of winter, spring, summer and fall until September when I hope to have acceded to the top of Katahdin, the tallest mountain in Maine . I am sure I will witness changes both outside and inside myself as I travel up the narrow stretch of wild which still remains on the east coast of the United States of America formally known as the Appalachian Trail.
I will be in my first real exam, one which will test physical and mental capability but most of all a test will, to see how far I can go on this grueling tour through the woods. The A.T. (Appalachian Trail) holds a ninety percent dropout rate from those who begin the trail each year to the number of successful through hikers who complete its entirety. So the question still remains, why am I choosing to give up the comforts of home to live, sleep, eat and drink from the woods?
It reverts back to those opportunities which have educated me in my twenty-three years. I have always had a calling to the outdoors and the vast opportunities which they offer to educate us. I find much inspiration and filament from a day spent outside and the primary reason for my pursuit of degree in Landscape Architecture was to preserve and respect the gifts which the natural environment offers to the developed world.
While living in Polk County I found myself with a strong desire to have a real impact, and through this calling began my own Landscaping Company which grew from providing basic lawn maintenance to instillation to creating residential designs, installing large scale plantings, and building water features, and retaining walls. I highlight this history to explain that throughout my life I have found it very important to have tangible evidence that my efforts have an impact now.
Through the course of my studies at North Carolina State University I often found myself struggling to get beyond my theoretical education and see the importance of my work. I loved what I was being exposed to as a Landscape Architecture student but at times struggled as I did not know what impact I was making on a daily basis. This desire to have impact on a day to day basis burned. During my fourth year at State I had the opportunity to get involved with a local Non-Profit Organization called Haven House Services through my work with the Caldwell Fellows Program. The Caldwell fellows program is a scholarship program which selects first-year undergraduate students at NC State University based upon merit. I had been very involved with the program but had never really found my nitch to which I could contribute until there was a request for Teaching Assistants for the sophomore seminar within the program. I read the email while I was studying abroad in Prague and immediately applied for the position. Little did I know, my work as a TA would lead to one of the most fulfilling experiences I had while at NC State.
Haven House Services is a Local Nonprofit Organization which offers many services to local young people who were are need. Programs range from education in health job skills, living and cooking skills, mentoring programs, a boxing program, and a crisis shelter. The Director of Haven House Services contacted the Caldwell Fellows program to help in the creation of an arts program for the clients that they served. This was the task which was assigned to the sophomore seminar. Using two teams of five myself and a fellow TA were to lead our teams through the semester long endeavor of studying Haven House as an organization, learn from their current programs, and implement an operational and sustainable weekly run arts program for local at-risk youth. Through our efforts in the first semester I was truly expanded as a servant leader and was exposed to a world unknown to me. Hearing the stories of young people who dealt real crisis and had to take on adult responsibility during their childhood awakened me to the real blessing I had been given in my life to have the support of family and friends. Most of all my first semester working to start an arts program made me realize that I want to the best I can. As cliché as it might sound I really did, I wanted to give everything I had to this project and make it as successfull as I could the young people who Haven House served. These young people needed opportunities, an creative outlet and exposure to what is out there. Although there were many set backs in the beginning, the many volunteers worked hard and as the months progressed and from many hours of work a plan was constructed and New Sense Studios (N.S.S.) was born.
With humble beginnings volunteers dreamed and planned and pushed and through the support of the Caldwell Fellows Gala N.S.S. raised $3,200.00 in 2009. This money was enough to buy basic supplies and teach projects ranging from abstract painting, textiles, animation, photography, sculpture, and painting. The efforts of N.S.S. continues today as the organization approaches its second year of existence. N.S.S. now has a partnership with the city of Raleigh Parks and Recreation to have space in the new Teen Center in Raleigh. Currently N.S.S. runs programs weekly at the Lion’s Park Community Center in Raleigh, NC.
It is the time I spent as Director of N.S.S. that really shaped me. My work to help create and maintain the studio made it clear I had an impact in my community. I was making a difference while I was a student, and although I have left school and am now walking in the woods I think it’s important to continue to support the good work that is being done back in Raleigh. N.S.S. exposed me to the hardships of others and their ability to preserver in the face of adversity. My work with N.S.S. also showed me that I had skills which could be put to use today to benefit and contribute to others. It’s the interactions I had and the feeling of purpose that I do not wish to leave behind so I am dedicating my walk north to N.S.S. and the clients who it serves. When I’m hungry, wet, cold, and tired I will remember that my physical adversity is minimal when compared to the adversities of those served by N.S.S..
As N.S.S. is run solely off of volunteer efforts with no paid staff members all money donated will provide supplies and equipment for the studio. I am asking friends and family members to help the young people who gain so much from having that creative outlet for a few hours a week.
As you think about me and my journey take out those checkbooks in support of my walk and in support of N.S.S. Consider being a sponsor of my walk and know that you are helping motivate me to continue and supporting young people by creating a positive outlet and improving their future. Please click on my Donate Now page for detail instructions on how you can help today.
