ECHO ... EcHo ... eChO ... echo

When you yell into the right kind of canyon, your message repeats itself over and over again until it becomes so faint that you can no longer distinguish it from the background noise. A blog is not a canyon, but it can repeat a message; I only hope that what I have to say doesn't become so repetitive that it fades into oblivion, becoming tuned out among the barrage of other messages constantly cast about.

What is that message, exactly? It is that I am doing this hike in honor of my grandparents, who through a financial gift made this trip possible. I have wanted to do this hike for a long time, but there is a big difference between a dreamed idea and an opportunity that catapults that dream into reality. While there were a number of things that had to come together in order for this trip to happen, funding was a significant component.

My gratitude for funding did not stand in isolation. It was closely accompanied by a strong desire to want to give back. I didn't just want to just "take the money and walk," as almost sung by the Steve Miller Band. I wanted to take what I had received and use it as an opportunity to give in return. It didn't take long to think of how: by using this trip as a means to raise money for ECHO, an organization that my grandfather was deeply committed to.

The Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization (ECHO) itself is "dedicated to fighting world hunger through innovative options, agricultural training and networking with community leaders and missionaries in developing countries." In so doing, ECHO "seeks to find sustainable options for families growing food under difficult conditions."

As you participate on this journey with me, please consider supporting ECHO as a way to help support me and my vision for what this hike can accomplish. I'm happy to say that over $200 has already been raised, but I'm hoping that number grows substantially. My goal before I left was $5,000, and so there is still work to be done.

In thinking about what you might want to contribute, there are a few ways that might be helpful. The simplest would be a one-time donation, instructions for which can be found here. Another option would be to give according to my progress. Perhaps you are drawn to the mileage, and want to give ten cents for every mile I hike by journey's end. Or, if you've been a follower of this blog, you would know that I have a commitment to seek and identify as many wildflowers as I can while I walk; maybe your interest is caught by this effort and you would like to give according to my growing list (now over one hundred flowers), say one dollar per flower.

Three of the flowers I have encountered on my walk:

Spotted Jewelweed

Butter and Eggs

Field Speedwell

Regardless of how you might think about giving, I at the very least ask that you would consider it, not just for my sake but for the lives that will be improved by ECHO's dedication to fighting hunger.