Have you heard about the 2,500-mile “March Across America” that 12-year-old Zach Bonner started yesterday? He’s walking from Florida to Los Angeles in 12-15 mile increments, stopping along the way in churches, homeless shelters, and other community centers, to address the issues of homeless children.
“‘March Across America,’ I hope, will give voice to the millions of kids that do not have one,” Zach said before he left yesterday.
It should take him 178 days to walk across the country. An RV dealership is allowing Bonner and his mother to borrow an RV for their journey. And the Office Depot Foundation is donating one backpack for every mile Bonner walks.
This isn’t the first time he’s done something like this. He handed out water and supplies to neighbors when he was 6 to hurricane victims. He walked 1,225 miles for the homeless in 2007. And last year, he completed a walk from Atlanta to Washington, D.C., where he met with senators and representatives. You can read more about his story here.
As I read Bonner’s story, I couldn’t help but think he has a better understanding of compassion than many adults do. Compassion isn’t demanding that somebody else needs to spend his or her money, or energy, or time. Instead, it’s doing something yourself and maybe even inspiring others to get involved.
