On August 28th, 2008, 39 year-old Virginia Beach resident, Tommy Neeson, will depart from the Ronald McDonald House in Bangor, ME and run over 2300 miles to the Ronald McDonald House in Miami, FA. He will make stops at various Ronald McDonald Houses along the way (see The Route). Four Million Steps, the number of steps taken on this journey, is aimed at raising not only money for the Ronald McDonald House Charities, but awareness as well. Ronald McDonald House provides a home away from home for families with children facing medical challenges and support programs that directly improve the health and well being of children, as well as providing grants to nonprofit organizations for programs that enable children to live happier, healthier lives. The first Ronald McDonald House opened in Philadelphia in 1974 as the result of the perseverance and dedication of Fred Hill, then a Philadelphia Eagles football player. After his daughter Kim, was treated for leukemia at the local children’s hospital, Hill became determined to help other families faced with the same situation. Very few institutions at the time provided sufficient accommodations for such families. Dr. Audrey Evans, a pediatric oncologist at Children’s Hospital, suggested that a "home away from home" was needed. Hill enlisted the help of his teammates and the local McDonald’s restaurant franchises to raise funds to purchase and renovate the first House. There are now over 269 Ronald McDonald Houses in 30 countries. All told, more than 3,000 bedrooms are available for families every night. The journey will end 75 days later at an average of over 30 miles of running per day. To make the things just a little harder, the event will be done without the assistance of a support vehicle. Tommy will cart all of his supplies in a baby jogger. Want to read more about how an idea like this comes about, start from the beginning. |
The Plan
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