Contact Persons for Media Interview Requests
Alastair McCandless Colin McCandless
864-525-6884 828-421-4301
Alastair McCandless of Greenville, S.C., is on the second leg and final leg of his cross country journey to raise money for the nonprofit veteran support organization Wounded Warrior Project.
McCandless will pick up where his trek left off last year in Omaha
His charity hike follows the American Discovery Trail’s (ADT) northern route from the Mid Atlantic Coast to the Pacific Ocean . The ADT is the nation’s only coast to coast, non-motorized recreational trail.
Last year his charity hike raised nearly $8,000 for the Wounded Warrior Project and McCandless has set an ambitious goal of $15,000 for 2012.
He launched his walk April 23, 2011 from Cape Henlopen , Del. , beginning an odyssey covering 12 states and featuring 13,000 feet in elevation change before finishing at Point Reyes National Seashore, California
McCandless, 37, has dubbed the endeavor the “Wilderness Walk for Wounded Warriors.”
“I've always had the need to do something to help other people, but I feel like I haven't been doing that enough on a daily basis,” said McCandless of his motivation for doing the fundraiser. “The hike is a way of doing something really big and challenging to try to make up for lost time.”
He chose the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) because his close friend and fellow Pi Kappa Phi fraternity brother Ken Dwyer, who served three tours of duty in Afghanistan
“I felt this was something I could do as a friend to help him and to help others like him who have had serious injuries while serving in our military,” McCandless said.
“His recuperation was incredibly difficult for him and his family, but the Wounded Warrior Project was instrumental in helping them through that difficult time. They provided fun trips for Ken to help take his mind off his injuries, while also providing counseling services for him and his wife to help with the mental toll such catastrophic injuries can take.”
“His recuperation was incredibly difficult for him and his family, but the Wounded Warrior Project was instrumental in helping them through that difficult time. They provided fun trips for Ken to help take his mind off his injuries, while also providing counseling services for him and his wife to help with the mental toll such catastrophic injuries can take.”
McCandless had been saving money for the trip and has also received generous support from friends and family members to help finance the lengthy odyssey so he can afford to take time away from work.
Last year he stayed primarily in camp sites, along with occasional hotels or hiker hostels.
Those interested in making a donation can visit his WWP donations site wwpproudsupporter.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=308932&supid=323413698 or by hitting the "Donate" button at the top of the page.
You can either make a one time donation or choose to pledge a certain amount for every state that McCandless completes on the ADT. All donations go to the WWP and are tax deductible.
McCandless is keeping a web journal on his progress at his blog site thoughtsaskew.blogpsot.com. This site also includes buttons linking readers to his WWP donations page.
Background: Wounded Warriors
Background: Wounded Warriors
The Wounded Warrior Project is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization founded in 2003 by a group of veterans and friends who took action to help the injured service men and women of this generation.
Its mission is to honor and empower wounded warriors. A main objective is to provide tangible support for the wounded and help them on the road to healing, both physically and mentally.
Their purpose is to raise awareness and enlist the public’s aid for the needs of injured services members, to help injured service members aid and assist each other and provide unique, direct programs and services to meet the needs of injured service members.
To learn more about how they help our wounded soldiers, visit their website http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org.
