Great Neighborhood

I took some time off from the walk recently. Tendonitis and a busy schedule with a teenager at home has made it hard to walk in the past month. Rest assured that the walk continues. I have past this year's half way mark, which means I have covered 350+ miles of Grand Rapids roads total. I still have a long way to go before the snow flies and it has started raining outside. So, I blog....

I recently had a very long walk (for one day) in what I call a Great Neighborhood. While I was walking  and appreciating the neighborhood, I was also thinking about how this fund-raiser was related to this walk. The Great Neighborhood is the answer.

First, let me tell you what a Great Neighborhood is not. It is not "great" houses, "great" cars, "great" streets. This long walk was in a neighborhood that had big houses next to small houses next to medium houses. It was a real variety of house shapes, styles and sizes. There were newly paved streets next to cracking neglected streets. Old cars parked next to new cars parked next to jalopies. There are a surprising number of neighborhoods like this in Grand Rapids. I am not talking about one block of expensive houses and one block of inexpensive houses. The neighborhoods are really diverse. While I think there is a component of this diversity that makes these neighborhoods special, that is not all that it needed to make them great.

The key to the Great Neighborhood can not be captured in a single word, but in a story.

Walking down the streets, I see people out in the neighborhood: Mothers walking their children, men mowing the lawn, women jogging, boys riding bikes, older men sitting on the porch watching the neighborhood. It was a nice day - a few sprinkles here and there - but it was a weekday and the neighborhood was active. That is the first component: the neighborhood is alive and active.

As I walked by it was obvious that I was not from the neighborhood. Come on, you would remember a guy walking his bike in a floppy green hat, sunglasses and a longer than average beard. It is clear that I am a stranger to these streets. But invariably, as I walk through the streets, I am greeted with a smile, a happy "Good afternoon, how are you today? Isn't it a beautiful day?" No questions or stern looks, just a dozen or so people in an hour's walk being out-of-the-way friendly.

As kids play in the streets, neighbors across the street keep an eye out, still friendly - not leary. I see a neighbors talking in the street as they pass by on the way to the park. A neighbor leans in to the driver side window in the middle of the street to catch up. Neighbors know each other and take part in each other's lives. They are concerned and compassionate and still always friendly.

Yeah, this was all in one day, in one Great Neighborhood. But I have seen it many places in Grand Rapids. I will not tell you this is everywhere. There are some neighborhoods where I never see anyone, even on a beautiful day. Where I get suspicious looks and questions (I still have not come across a person angry with me in all of the North side. Dogs maybe, not people 8^)).

So what does this have to do with the fund-raiser?

It has always been my intent to do this small and simple. To share that the MS Society needs help and I am willing to walk every street in Grand Rapids to help people notice. One person tells another, sends an email to a friend. Ask for pledges. Send them to walkinggrandrapids.blogspot.com. Send the address to a lot of people. If they can not donate, they can learn about MS and the MS Society, tell their friends, some that maybe can donate. Be active and alive in your community. Show concern and compassion. Everyone can do something. Play a part.

I made a connection on this walk that I had not seen before. I want to see all the people I send this to send it to others, to be active, alive, friendly and compassionate. This is a virtual Great Neighborhood that will grow and cause some good.

Thanks for indulging my long post. Please visit the donate link and tell your "neighbors".

Simple

I have documented the reasons for starting this journey to walk every street in Grand Rapids. The main reason, of course, is to raise money for a worthy and conscientious charity that helps so many people in need, the MS Society.

What I haven't documented yet is why I am doing it the way I am doing it. It comes down to one word: Simple.

I decided from the beginning that I wanted this to be something that anyone could do, with meager resources and contact with their friends. And their friend's friends. While I could likely get sponsors to buy new footwear, shirts and cards and a road team and a bunch of posters and flyers and the like, that would be spending money and time on me and the organization of the fund raiser and not the cause. I think it is important to be a good steward of what we have and to me, part of that is simplicity. In addition, I figure this could be a model for others, especially those that do not have the means to run or participate in big fundraisers.

So, I have taken on only those things that take little time and effort to raise money, short of walking hundreds of miles (the majority of my time and effort here). A free blog site. A free email address. Some paper maps and time to log (free spreadsheet). Other things, like my computer, are things I already have. I have already posted some ideas about how best to do this. This summer I will be posting here (or providing links to information) the details of just how this is accomplished, including my past logs of progress with miles traveled and streets covered.

What does this mean for you? It means that, in order for this fundraiser to be successful, I need one thing from you. It doesn't involve walking 330 miles (covered so far by me) and best of all it's simple.

Find out why it is important to help the MS Society and tell your friends.

In little ways, spread the word about this crazy guy who is walking every street in Grand Rapids and share the link. Talk about it, forward the emails, blog about it. If you have the means contribute at the Donate site. Let your favorite TV and radio stations know what I am doing (I have contacted them several times, but I think they need to hear it from you). One friend and the radio station he works for has already taken me up on this offer.

Telling your friends is Simple.

Donating takes only a couple of minutes and is Simple.

Thank you for your support.

Second half

The Long Walk through Grand Rapids continues in 2012 as I work to complete the second half of this crazy trip. By the end of this year, I will have walked 400 miles of Grand Rapids streets. Every street on the Northwest side is walked from end to end and a new quadrant is close. 2011 ended with a grand total of 300 miles in the fall.  That is past the half way mark.

All of this is to raise money for the MS Society. Please visit the links to the right to go to the donation site.

I realize, especially in these times, that not everyone will be able to donate. I will wager though, that you know someone who can and will, so I ask that you share this blog with your friends.

Thanks for your support in the past, and thanks for continuing to support the Long Walk in Grand Rapids to benefit the MS Society!

Posting WTKG interview

WTKG was kind enough to not only replay the interview today, but also provide a recording that I could post here.

The donation site will only be available for a short time, so make sure you get your pledges in soon. The Bike MS season has ended and they only leave the site up for a short time afterward.

If the site is down, please feel free to make a general donation through the MS Society's general donation site. Just leave a comment here on this blog to let me know that my walking is worthwhile!

Walking on the Air

First off, I have to thank everyone that has supported me in my goal to walk every street in Grand Rapids. If it wasn't for the support from family and friends, I would not have been able to raise $800 - $900 each year for the last five years, let alone walk the nearly 277 miles of Grand Rapids streets I have covered. I especially thank my loving wife and awesome son for the support that this crazy trip has required.

But there is so much more to do, and the more of us that get involved, the more we can achieve.

I received an email from my friend Larry Bush yesterday. Larry works for a local broadcaster, who, it turns out, was interested in my goal to walk every street in Grand Rapids. This afternoon, I went down to the studios of WTKG, Grand Rapids' Talk Alternative and met Dave Robinson. We talked about MS and the work that the MS Society is doing to support people living with MS and to support the researchers looking for a cure. We talked about walking and.... well, I recommend that you listen. Listen to "Talk of the Town" with Steve Kelly and Dave Robinson at 1230 AM from 11:00 to noon weekdays (Update: the interview will air 29 September 2011 sometime between 11:00 and noon). Or, listen live online at the WTKG website. There is even a section for podcasts, which will hopefully have the interview online.

While I do not have the exact date of the airing of the interview, I will post online as soon as I know.

Larry took my advice to share the site with others in a simple way that could have a big impact for the MS Society. Thanks Larry!

Now is the time to make a donation as I close out the final 20 plus miles for this year. Visit the Donation site by following the link at the right. While this helps me track donations for my own curiosity, the MS Society donation site is another way to contribute to this worthy cause.

Thanks again to everyone for all of the support, especially Larry and Dave! Keep sharing with family and friends!

I would walk 500,000 steps...

... and I will walk 500,000 more!

I took some much needed vacation last week, since our vacation plans in the past two years have kind of fallen flat. Our family decided that we were taking the time, even if we did not have plans. We managed to squeeze in a visit with my wife's wonderful cousins, go to the beach, a baseball game, and just hang out together like a family. What a great vacation.

In addition, my eternally patient and lovely wife allowed me to make some marathon walks. While logging the miles today, I discovered that I have walked over 500,000 steps. A half a million. That's a milestone that nearly slipped by for inattention to details.

In addition, some good friends have made donations at the site. Thanks so much! This is all about helping people living with Multiple Sclerosis. This disease affects 400,000 people in the U.S., particularly in northern climates like Michigan. The MS Society is a charity that makes sure much of the money goes to research and the people, so please make a donation today! If money is tight, please let someone know about this site and pass the word. It's free, but it still helps.

Thanks and God Bless.

Walk Grand Rapids

Friends,

I am writing a second post today to welcome any new comers to the Walk Grand Rapids blog. This blog chronicles my attempts to raise money for the MS Society, most recently, by walking the length of every street in Grand Rapids.

So far, I have walked more than 250 miles of Grand Rapids streets to raise money for those living with MS. By the Grand Rapids City website, I have roughly 350 more miles to go. I have, in the past two years, walked 100 miles of streets each year. This year, I will cross the half way point to 300 miles.

This goal has been bigger and better than I imagined. At first I thought I would try it and share my progress with friends and family. Both the fundraising and walking has been fantastic. This year it is time to share with more people.

For longtime supporters, the blog address has changed to walkinggrandrapids.blogspot.com. I have moved all of my previous fundraising blog posts as well to this new site, so you can still find information on my previous head shaving and other fun.

Donating is as easy as ever. Just click the Donate link to go to the MS Society's donation site. I am registered as a Virtual Rider for the Michigan Chapter's Bike MS fundraiser.

Why am I a "Virtual Rider"? This all started a few years back when my friend Steve asked for help with his 20th year riding for Bike MS. I love riding my bike, but I am the kind of rider that can not ride 150 miles in two days (read - lazy). I said I would shave my head at the finish line of the Bike MS event to help raise money for Steve and his team. The response was amazing, partly because my hair was 33 inches long. That stunt only really worked for three years.

After hearing about a Philadelphian woman that walked every street in her city, I decided, though I could not ride 150 miles in two days, I could walk 100 miles each year, covering every street in Grand Rapids, my hometown. Here I am now 250+ miles later and loving every minute of it.

So, please take some time to find out about MS and how you can help. There are links to more information on the right, or dig in to this blog for some information. If donating money is not in the cards this year, please tell someone else about this blog and how they can help the MS Society.

Thanks and God Bless.

Maps

Friends, here are the long awaited maps of my travels in Grand Rapids.

This first map is from my map book and is a map of the city boundaries.

Each number represents a page in the map book. Last year, I decided that it was easiest to complete a whole page as a more satisfying indicator of progress, both for you and me. So far, I have completed two pages, with good progress toward two more. There are scattered walks on other pages from my first year and incidental walking. By the end of this summer, I will likely have completed four pages with progress on more. This will total 300 miles of walking, more than half way to the goal of walking the length of every street in Grand Rapids.

To give you an idea of the number of streets on each page, here are the detail maps of my completed pages.

These pages, 26 and 27, represent the majority of the 200 miles of my first two years. These are also possibly the most densely covered pages in the map book, along with page 29.

So, why so old school from a techie? Scans of paper pages from a map book, from a company that no longer produces maps? I have mentioned in previous posts that I find this convenient for the task at hand and here is why. There are lots of mapping programs out there, but I have found none for the kind of walking that I am doing, both in volume and logistically.

In my travels, I often find that I have to back-track, mostly as a result of the Traveling Salesman problem. More specifically, this is a special version of a Hamiltonian Cycle called an Eulerian Circuit, in which I wish to travel the length of every street. Visit the links for the geeky details, or take this less detailed explanation: It is really hard to walk a set of streets in any city and end up back at your car without walking a lot of streets twice. The simplest example is walking down a dead end street - there is only one way back. There are lots of blocks where it is possible to return to my car without repeating streets, but many more where it is not possible. The simple example most people have seen is the envelope puzzle. In this case, the circuit is possible, though may be difficult.

So, I have a paper map and a marker that help me log my walks. I do track miles in Google Maps and record them in a spreadsheet, with the name of each street walked. While many smartphone apps will also log miles, none help to eliminate the extra backtracking from the calculations. None, that I have found, has the ability to record every street walked on one map without difficulty.

I am working on a Google Map with polygons blocked off in KML, to show areas walked, but that is proving more difficult than I had anticipated. If anyone knows of a good solution for my problem, please leave a comment and I will gladly follow up.

More importantly, all of this mapping, walking and logging is for a reason: to raise money for the MS Society. Please follow the Donate link to their safe site and make a donation to this worthy cause. For the suspicious, the donate link can be validated by searching directly on the MS Society's website. I am registered as a virtual rider for the National MS Society · Michigan Chapter TeaMS in the 2011 Virtual Bike MS.


Though making a donation at my site helps me track progress and gives me incentive to continue my walks, any donation to the MS Society is great. If donating money is not an option right now, please consider passing on this website to a friend.


Thanks.

Let the Donations Begin!

Friends,

The donation site is finally available. It is located here and on the right menu under Donate. I am registered as a "Virtual Rider" for the MS Society's Bike MS. This allows me to offer a secure donation site and the money goes directly to the MS Society.

Why donate? Having multiple sclerosis means that you may suddenly have blurry vision. Or that your memory will fail you for no apparent reason. Or that you may not always be able to walk, let alone ride a bike. The symptoms of MS are different, and devastating, for everyone - the only certainty is that it will affect yet another person every hour of every day.

I am blessed that I can walk, so I choose to use this skill, this very basic and easily underrated skill, to earn money for a good cause. The MS Society uses most of its donations wisely, making sure most of the money goes to the people who need it, and the research that will one day cure MS.

Just walking is never enough to ask for a donation. Starting two years ago, I started a goal, to walk the length of every street in Grand Rapids MI. Each year I walk 100 miles. This year, I will pass the estimated half way point, 300 miles! Up to this point, I have walked the entire northwest side of Grand Rapids and a good portion of the northeast side, with a few streets thrown in around my favorite haunts (Never counting the same bit of street twice).

This is a worthy cause. This is a wacky goal. Please consider donating what you can to help today. From $1 to $100 or more, anything is welcome.

If a donation of money is not enough, please tell your friends! Send an email, spread the word, join me in spirit and walk a mile. Whatever the task, tell others about MS and what they can do to help!

Thanks again for your support. Watch for more news coming soon!

On the road to half way

Dear regular viewers,

This year will be a milestone on the walk. I will pass the halfway mark in miles on my trip to walk the length of every street in Grand Rapids. I have lots planned for this blog, including fulfilling promises long awaited and a few surprises.

I am waiting for setup of the Donate link, I just wanted to let everyone know that I am still walking and I have not forgotten you!

Thanks for your continued support!

Dan

Nor'easter

As I have mentioned before, the MS Society is a worthy charitable organization, helping people that need it. Most of the money donated ends up with the people that need it most. If you can not donate, tell others about this website and visit the MS Society web page to learn more about this disease.

So, if that is not reason enough to donate, how about this: my next walk will be across Ann Street Bridge and into Northeast Grand Rapids. What is significant about that? I have walked every street North and West of the Grand River.

Some highlights were:

• Stumbling on to OctoberFest after completing a long walk and having a beer and a brat with a friend.
• Seeing a chihuahua defend its house from the crown of the roof.
• Walking with friends and 
• talking about ice cream trucks and software quality
• reunioning
• brothers
• Hearing all the reasons for donating
• The hilarious donation messages I received (I still owe someone a "strut")

Even though there were some "interesting" times as well, like getting chased or scared by dogs and seeing someone get hit by a car (they were all right), I can safely say every walk has been a pleasure, without exception.

Now to the Northeast side of Grand Rapids. Only 400+ miles to go!

Still Walking

The most common question I have had this year is "Are you still walking Grand Rapids?", both solicited and unsolicited.

The answer is yes.

Yes, I have neglected to blog as often as I should.
Yes, I am behind in my pace, but still well within reach of my 100 mile goal for 2010.
Yes, I should finish this year's walk before snow flies.
Yes, in 2011 I will have only 400 more miles to go.
Yes, I really have finished the vast majority of the Northwest side of Grand Rapids.
Yes, I will post some maps soon.
No, there is still not a cure for MS.

Please consider a donation. I realize times are tight, so if you can not donate pass on this site to someone else. If everyone on my list, or their friends, donated $5 today, I would meet my goal and there would be one last email for the year. If not, please check out the information sites to the left and learn about MS and how it affects more people in Michigan than any other state.

I spent a lot of time researching the MS Society and they are a responsible organization. A large percentage of the money donated gets to the people with MS that need it. Check them out at the charity watch sites on the web.

The Donation Site listed on the menu on the right is secure and will credit my fund-raising efforts.

Check out the two earlier posts for this year's Long Walk and thanks for reading!

Donation Site available again

The Donation site is available again in a link on the right. This is a secure site that contributes directly to the MS Society. This is the easiest and safest way for you and me to collect money for the drive. You can donate safely and securely online and have your money start working right away for the MS Society and I won't have to handle the money. (Those who know me best know how forgetful I can be!) I will receive a message for every donation, so I can thank you for your support. The site will tally the total so you can follow along with the drive.

Checks and cash are difficult to handle (I have to write a separate check for cash to send it in) and I have discovered in the past that it takes quite some time for the MS Society to process checks. So please (I'm begging now...) take advantage of the donation site.

For those who do not know me, the site is also available directly from the MS Society's web page (Search for Team AOSE, who has generously let me join, even though I do not ride.) and look for my goofy picture in the team sites. Or donate directly to the MS Society and skip my site. The whole point is to raise money for them!

Thanks again for your support!

I would walk 500 Miles...

After procrastinating last fall to finish walking the first 100 miles of Grand Rapids streets, you would think I would learn a lesson and begin early this year to take advantage of the cooler weather.

Nope.

I started walking again last night. I am about 5-10 miles behind my pace right now, with hopes to catch up this month. The donation site is not yet available, due to technical difficulties. It will be up soon. I have decided to rename this odyssey "The Long Walk in Grand Rapids for the MS Society". Let me know what you think. This year's theme is "I would walk 500 miles" since I have about 500 miles of GR streets left.

Some lessons learned:

I can't take seven months off and expect to walk as far as I was seven months ago.
Grand Rapids is safe and beautiful.
There are no more streets to walk near my house.
It's hard to track miles in new developments, since they are not yet on the map.
A long-time friend shares favorite flowers.

Some thoughts for this year:

Blog more (really, I mean it).
Raise more money for the MS Society.
Publicity (I know I can, and will, walk every street possible in Grand Rapids. It is time to let people know.)

You are the first step. Please tell your friends about the site and post links to this blog and comment on the contents.

Watch for fun stuff coming to this blog.

Thanks for your continued support!

100% miles / 57% funds

This is my last official appeal for this year. For everyone that has been waiting to donate until they see if I am serious, this is it. I have completed well over 100 miles today with a final walk of around three miles. I would like to thank everyone that donated, everyone that walked with me and everyone that told someone else about the MS Society.

As of this point I am 57% of the way to the goal set of $750. I understand that funds are tight, in spite of the "economic turnaround", but this is less than half of what I have raised in previous years. So, here is my offer:

If everyone on my email list that has not yet donated were to donate $5, I would be well above my stated goal. Please consider using the donate link (it still works) on the right and donating $5 to a cause that will help people right here in the Grand Rapids area and fund important research to fight MS. I can not offer much more than a few words on my blog, so if anyone has a burning question about the walk, I will post the answer for a mere $5 donation. Let me know if I should post your name or just leave a comment here on my blog.

If funds are just too tight, consider finding out about MS and the MS Society and tell someone else about it.

Thanks for your consideration. Plans are in the works for next year's walk, covering at least another 100 miles!

Ok, so it has been a long while since I posted. I apologize.

88% of the way there in miles, 50% in pledges.

Please consider pledging $5. If everyone on my email list that has not donated pledged just $5 we would be over the goal of $750. Please consider a pledge today.

I am loving the walks. I have covered a large portion of NW Grand Rapids and have ventured outside familiar neighborhoods (I thought that would take longer). My pace was 1 mile a day through 50 miles until I fell behind. September came with about 75 miles. The past two weeks have been too busy to walk. I will finish soon (100 miles this year), so get in your pledges today!

It will take several years to walk every street, yes, every street in Grand Rapids. That will be 600 miles total. I am already planning for next year (200-250 miles total?)!

25%

I am little over 25% of the way there on miles covered.

I am a little over 15% of the way to the fund raising goal.

Walking has been fun so far, I have had many volunteer to walk with me.

The most beautiful walk so far has been across the Sixth Street bridge.

Thanks to everyone that has supported me so far! Tell your friends and neighbors! Read the information at the MS Society page. Send them the link to this blog (it is the cheapest way to support the cause!)

Frequently asked questions

The walking is going pretty well. I am a little behind schedule, though I am catching up fast. I am hearing a lot of questions that I would like to answer here.

1. Are you going to walk every street or will you use your bike? I am going to walk each and every street. I will use my bike to avoid overlapping streets, to get out of my neighborhood and to avoid walking cul de sacs and turnarounds twice. It will take a number of years, so my goal this year is 100 miles or more.
   
2. Are you going to walk both sides of the street? No, once is enough. There are 600 miles of streets. I want to finish before my son graduates high school.
3. Will you repeat streets? I am trying to avoid overlapping on streets by walking the length of as many streets as possible. I record as few overlaps as possible.
   
4. Some streets are not very safe. Will you walk those streets? Grand Rapids is pretty safe. I will be smart about walking streets in the daylight and with a phone. I hope that some friends will join me. (Chris T. and Barry and Jon W. have offered. Thanks guys! Please let me know if you want to walk too!) I will only walk legal, non-private streets. No walking the S-curve unless they open it again for foot traffic.
5. Has anyone walked with you yet? My son and wife have walked with me. I walk too fast and too long for my son, so he usually joins me on his bike.
   
6. How are you tracking your progress? I am using a pedometer, a AAA map and a pencil, a calculation of 1980 steps to a mile and a spreadsheet to track and translate steps to miles. I am playing with Google Maps to track progress, though it is not really designed for this kind of mapping, and it does not appear to display all the paths on one page.
7. Is that pedometer really accurate? It really is. I went on a four mile walk the other day and the number of steps was right on. I did have a short reading the other day, so I generally check against a map. The readings are never too long, so everyone will get their money's worth.
   
8. Did you really see a guy on a bike get hit by a car? Yup. He was about 2 feet from me. He got up and walked away. Neither he nor the guy in the car were paying attention to where they were going.
9. Why are you doing this? MS attacks the central nervous systems, sometimes stops people from moving as they want, sometimes causes memory failures or blurry vision. The MS Society does a good job of helping people that need it. I can not raise money riding a bike, so I walk, or shave my head. People actually donate money to the MS Society because of these silly things I do. So I keep doing them.
   

Taking a long walk

Friends,

I am starting late on the fundraiser this year. I am not shaving my head. I have a new stunt that actually involves more work on my part.

The fundraiser went pretty well last year, considering the economy. I have noticed that not as many people are interested in my shaved head since my hair is not long anymore. I also got a lot of attention with my bald head at the end of the fundraiser instead of the beginning, when I really needed it.

So, this year's agenda is:

1. Get noticed early in the campaign, not later
   
2. Let more people know
3. Make it easier to donate
4. Update the blog more often
   

I hope the orange hair helps objective number one (It is no "Super Blonde" like the package said. It is more of a "Patchy Orange Highlights").

Letting more people know means starting a walk that leads down every street in Grand Rapids. Every street within the city limits that legally and safely carries pedestrians is on my map. Since there are 600 miles of roads in Grand Rapids, this is a multi-year project. This year my pedometer and I are planning on covering 100-150 miles of the the good old Northwest of GR. Let me know where your neighborhood is and you can walk with me. Most importantly, let other people know how to donate, even if you can not spare a dime. Also, if you know how to map my walk progress nicely online, please let me know.

Steve and Team AOSE helped me get my own donation spot on the Bike MS Website this year, so I can track donations in my name. So donating will be as easy as clicking the Donate link to the right. This is a safe and secure site and a very large portion of the money actually ends up helping people instead of paying administrators. Thanks to Steve and Team AOSE for letting this slacker join the effort as a virtual rider.

The donation site is available now for your donating pleasure!

Thanks again for your support and God Bless!

Unshaved head

Since there were not enough donations, and since I needed to set a good example for Frankie, who needed a haircut for school, I received my first haircut in 10 years (not counting shaved heads).
I told the hairdresser, a real good sport, to be creative. She really didn't care for the lack of direction, but I told her it couldn't be goofier than it was now, or goofier than a shaved head. After some deep thought, she decided on a Faux-Hawk. See the before and after pictures below.

Thanks to everyone that donated! The total so far is $620, though there appear to be some missing donations, so I will report back if the total changes.

(I think the new haircut really brings out my Polish nose...)