>An 820-mile walk prefaced Ball State Junior, Ben Poor's July of 2008. Talk about walking for a purpose. He was taking on this tremendous walk to New Orleans, Louisiana to help raise money for Katrina relief. When he eventually reached the end of his walk to this city in need, he was greeted by over 100 supporters who had heard of the challenge he took on, along with a New Orleans traditional brass band.
He walked for 45 days to get to New Orleans, and within that time, he was able to raise over $11,000 to help with the relief of the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
While in Louisiana, Poor, far right, met Kevin Singh, a Ball State graduate who rode his bike from California to South Carolina to raise $10,000 for cancer awareness.
“During a family vacation in Europe, Poor said he was inspired to walk for a cause. The particulars eventually followed, and Poor prepared by setting up his route to New Orleans and calling churches for a place to stay along the way,” says the article courtesy of Ball State University.
"I can't even explain it," Poor said. "New Orleans really had a place in my heart ever since the hurricane hit, and I really felt like God was telling me to do this."
I truly felt drawn to this article when I first heard about it last summer, and it still has been drawing me in. I have felt quite similarly to Ben Poor in the past, in the sense of feeling drawn to the destroyed city of New Orleans and the people there. I had been able to spend two separate weeks in the past dedicating my time and energy into gutting the homes there and still I felt as if I was not doing enough for these wonderful people that have lost every material thing valuable in their lives.
I love to hear about stories of college students that take some time out of there extremely busy lives to help out those in need—and finding so many interesting and fresh ways to do so. Its a beautiful thing to see people helping others and inconveniencing themselves to help realize a bigger need than their own agenda.
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