An Open Letter to the State of Florida.

Dear Florida,

You are too long and much too hot.  And sometimes you catch on fire and it’s super scary.  Please cut it out.

Sincerely,

theWALKERS

Greetings From Melbourne, FL

Hokay,

So the past few days have been absolutely amazing in every way.  Last Wednesday we were feeling a little downtrodden after we spend all day walking past the most elaborate decadence any of us had ever seen.  When you have to import two hand-carved ebony lions to guard your 17-bedroom palace, three Ferraris, and 10 million dollar yacht, guess what?  You have too much money.  And since not that many people were out in the heat, we didn’t get to talk to too many folks.  Bummer. 

So we stop for dinner at the first restaurant we see, and collapse inside the beautiful air-conditioning, where the waitress, so sweetly understanding that we can’t really afford this restaurant in the first place, buys us dessert because our cause means that much to her.  And just when spirits begin to lift… Becca’s backpack breaks.  After a shoddy fix, we sit outside the restaurant with absolutely no idea where we are going to sleep for the night.  Enter Jane Caputi.

It just so happens that a Women’s Studies professor from Florida Atlantic University was dining at the same restaurant, noticed our shirts and offered to take us in for the night [cue inspirational music].  After an amazing night of conversation and key lime pie in her beach front condo, we got to take showers, wash our clothes and sleep in beds.  You know, those little things we used to take for granted.  What is more, her partner is an engineer who was able to do a much better job fixing Becca’s bag. 

Thursday turned out to be the flip side of Wednesday’s coin, as our most interesting conversations were with homeless folk.  The first, Charlie, wanted to make sure we had the right directions and walked with us a bit telling us stories from his past.  The second, Maggie, is what I would like to be if I were a homeless prostitute addicted to crack-cocaine.  She gave us every resource that she had; directions, knowledge of area, the poetry she had spend her life composing, and even shoulder rubs because our bags were heavy. 

We stopped at a diner two nights ago, and had the opportunity to speak with the waitresses about our walk.  They took up a collection to cover our meal, because our mission affects their households directly.  We ran into a woman from Puerto Rico and Becca was able to chat with her for a minute, and she talked about how this issue is addressed so much more in Puerto Rico than it is in America, and that it really does effect everyone.  She encouraged us by saying that our walk makes a difference, whether we feel it or not. 

Yesterday, we decided to splurge and get a hotel because we were in desperate need a of a shower.  About a mile away from the Holiday Inn, a woman named Joanne stopped to see if we needed a ride.  She bought us smoothies and drove us the remaining distance to the hotel.   In that time we had such an amazing conversation, with her sharing personal stories from her past and us sharing similar ones.  It was a great connection, and we are truly sorry not to have gotten a last name- especially when she snuck into the hotel after we had checked in and paid for our room.  Joanne, if you are reading this, you were an absolute blessing in our lives and we thank you.

So these are the cliff notes to some amazing life experiences.  I in no way have done them justice, and there are many that I haven’t even mentioned, but the moral of the story is that there are amazing people in this world, and they seem to crop up just when you need them the most. 

Enjoy the air-conditioning,

theWALKERS.

Day Two

‘ello Dear Reader,

Here we are in beautiful Pompano Beach, FL, staying with the most wonderful couple from Michigan.  Becca knew they were winners as soon as she spied the Tiger’s shirt.  So far the walk has been going wonderfully.  We got off the plane yesterday and started walking immediately, putting us a full day ahead of schedule.  Earlier today we strolled along Fort Lauderdale Beach.  We have had the opportunity to talk to a lot of amazing individuals, most of whom have been very supportive of our cause and walk.  One woman told us about her son who once walked across the country lengthwise by himself.  She told us that he always told her how kind people were, and how they never let him pay for anything.  Then she handed us $15. Amazing. The count of people who say “you must be crazy” when hearing about our journey, 22 people.  The count of people who have no grasp on the actual length of a mile, everyone.  Keep reading, and we’ll keep writing.

Walk On,

theWALKERS

Striving to End Sexual Aggression, One Step at a Time

Welcome to the home of the East Coast Walkers.

We are a group of students from Central Michigan University that exists to educate and enlighten all people on the frequency and dynamics of sexual violence in order to create an educated society and reduce the occurrence of acts of sexual violence; this goal is to be achieved through a three month walk in the summer of 2008 through the states of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusettes. Furthermore, the organization aims to provide funding to staff the Isabella County Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner and provide rape evidence exams to survivors of sexual assault at no cost to the survivor.

In order for the walk to take place, $8000 must be raised by April 30th. As of March 19, the walkers are still $3500 away from that goal. If you would like to contribute to our cause, please see the “Donate” page for information. If you would like more information on who we are and what we do, check out the “About” and “The Walkers” pages. If you are interested in information not available on this site, please email us at east.coast.walkers@gmail.com.

Thanks So Much,

The Walkers

Header Photograph by Steven Jessup, The Myrtle Beach Sun News