A few years ago I helped organize a race called Tour d' Eau Claire with a few other fine folks. One of those folks was Shawn Brunner. Shawn recently started a non-profit called Nature Helps to raise awareness/money for the Suicide Prevention Lifeline. In his own words,
"Nature Helps Inc. is an organization that raises money for charity by long distance hiking and promoting the benefits of nature in the process. Every year, we will select a different charity to support and a different long distance hike. This year, the charity that we will be raising money for is Suicide Lifeline Prevention, a charity that has personal meaning to me. My brother took his own life on June 2, 2011 and I understand the devastation and confusion such a circumstance can have on family and friends.
In order to raise money for Suicide Lifeline Prevention, I will attempt to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail, a hike that is 2,178 miles long. I will be starting at Springer Mountain in Georgia and ending at Mount Katahdin in Maine. This first journey for Nature Helps will begin on March 7, 2012."
The end goal is to raise $50,000 for charity, solo hiking over 2,000 miles is a hefty task to say the least. That said, Shawn is a totally awesome guy working for a great cause that deserves support and I strongly encourage following him on the Nature Helps website and Facebook and sending along a contribution no matter what the size. I think there is a common thread between those of us that enjoy spending time outdoors that brings a sense of being truly alive and connected to the world around us and I think that is a very special thing to try to bring to those who feel helpless and totally disconnected form their surroundings. Good luck Shawn, stay safe and bring back a raccoon hat.
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