Thursday Things: Organize a Walk for Charity (#9)

Please join us this Saturday at the Boston Book Festival!  We'll be in the Boston Public Library Commonwealth Salon at 1pm. 


I'm pleased and proud to introduce GIRLS ON THE WAY, our blog about hiking the 500-mile Camino Frances route of The Way of St. James (El Camino de Santiago).  Over the next few months, GIRLS ON THE WAY will document our preparation for the hike of a lifetime.

We finally did it.  We finally decided on one huge hike, something spectacularly grand and exciting, something that might make it possible for us to raise a decent amount of money for others. 

Alex, Sage, and I have been talking about doing something for charity for over a year.  First, Sage wanted to walk across the United States.  I jumped at the idea, but it didn't pan out because neither Sage nor Alex wanted to  be away from home for the many consecutive months it would have taken for us to walk from coast to coast.  Next, we thought of hiking or biking 50 miles in each of the 50 states.  Again, however, that would have meant too many months away from home.  The girls need their routines; they don't mind being gone for two months or so, but after that they want to see their friends, hold their pets, go to their extracurricular classes, etc.  Totally understandable.

Then, at our friend MadRiver's suggestion, we rented the film, The Way.  All three of us loved it.  When the film ended, we talked about the possibility of doing the Camino.  A week later, the plan was set, and I reminded the girls about our responsibility to help others however we're able.  Our recent trip to San Francisco reinforced our desire to start where we are, use what we have, and do what we can...I therefore sent emails to Global Fund for Women and GirlVentures, and now here we are today.

I've stated in other posts that I want to raise $10,000.  That's a HUGE amount of money and I've no idea if we'll reach that goal.  We'll do our best, though.  My first public announcement regarding our Camino adventure (outside of social media) will be at this weekend's Boston Book Festival (I'm giving a talk on my book, Up: A Mother and Daughter's Peakbagging Adventure).  Next week, I'll begin the fundraising campaign in earnest.  We've four months before we leave for the Camino, and I'd like to raise as much money as possible before we go. 

Please spread the word and let others know what we're doing.  Share the new website with them -- www.girlsontheway.com.  Help us raise money to help promote the good health, economic security, and human rights of women around the globe.