Neighbors United Gears Up For 140 Mile Walk For Incredible Cause

When it comes to walking I try to do at least a mile a day just to keep myself moving. And, if I'm being honest, sometimes that mile, alone, is exhausting. The heat combined with the humidity means I'm normally happy to complete my workout indoors.

So, when I learned about a charity event where people are willingly walking 140 miles, my mind was blown.

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Steve Bourdo is a content creator that we've featured for Tiktok Tuesday in the past. You can read more here. Just a couple of days ago, he tagged me in a Tiktok video:

One hundred and forty miles?? I immediately reached out to Steve to find out more.

This initiative is part of an effort by Neighbors United to help raise money and awareness about firefighters in Michigan who are battling cancer. According to their website,

Statistics state that firefighters are 25% more likely to contract cancer due to their job environment than in any other profession and in 2019, it became the number one killer of firefighters.

That's something I was completely unaware of. Hence, the need for the walk.

The annual event, #WalkfortheRed140, is now in it's 3rd year with participants, like Steve Bourdo, already training for the event scheduled for September. In fact some participants are, themselves, firefighters and perform the walk dressed in their gear. You can see a recap of a previous event below:

Where's the Route?

Those who are walking will make the 140 mile trek from Macomb Township to Grand Rapids. They'll set off bright and early at 8:00am on the morning of September 9th.

According to Steve Bourdo, they should be passing through Lansing on the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and he hinted that Joe, who runs Neighbors United, has something special planned for the occasion. What that is, we don't know.

How Do I Help?

Obviously, not all of us are capable of walking 140 miles on foot from one town to another. But, if you'd like to contribute they are accepting donations. And, according to Neighbors United's website, all money raised is given directly to the families affected.

You can find all donation information, scheduling and find answers to any questions by visiting the #WalkfortheRed140's website, Neighbors United website, or Neighbors United Facebook page.

If you happen to live along the path of this 140 mile journey make sure you mark it on your calendar. I'm sure they'll appreciate any cheering or encouragement from the sidelines.