Charity Hiking - Appalachian Trail

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#1

I dont usually start my own thread…but Im rareley attacked for stating my opinion. Something I have done consisitently since I have participatd in these forums.

second I am CHEF from AT2000 class, in the hiker world Thats how I am known. Thats why I post here using that name. Im not hiding, if you read any of my four journals, or email me you can easily find my real name and where I from. I have lived in the same house for forty years, Im not that hard to find.

This is my opinion, you are welcome to disagree. Please dont post anything negative about me in your Journals. Only do it here in the forums, As I would not do the same to you.

Now Hiking For Charity…as in any charitable contribution you would like to see all your money go to the cause. Its understandable that a percentage must go toward running the organization.

what I believe, If your hiking and accepting money, services or goods, to support YOU, while you raise money for the chatity, is wrong. If I ever decided to something like this, I would spend my money and then accept monetary donations for the charity. That way no one is supporting me and at the same time Ive raised money for my cause.

And as far as accepting money, goods , services from others. Im no accountant, but if Petra Hilleberg gives me a tent(my 2 hilleberg tents value brand new is close to 900 bucks) thats worth 200 dollars. I have to declare that on my Income taxes as a gift. If hilker A accepts donations specifically for themselves, taxes must be paid. If all the donations go right to the charity, this does not become a problem. You can bet Hilleberg and nalgene and whoever else gives to these hikers is declaring it as a contribution.

There are a multitude of ways to bring Awareness to a problem or a disease. The internet for one, mass mailings, talk shows, community TV stations…yada yada. Taking a six month hike and asking people to pay for it is not the best way to do it. You could probably have a bake sale or a car wash and raise the same amount money in one weekend.

If you are hiking for charity and using some of the proceeds for youselve, make it clear to everybody invloved. If they still want to donate they can, but I would not.

Thank you for time and understanding

Chef aka Charles James Brown 291 Huron avenue Cambridge Massachusetts, 02138-1303, born 12/14/1964
religion: catholic, blood type: A positive, Im 5ft 3 inches tall and currently weigh 169lbs. (trying to get that down)

Chef

#2

Chef, I am with you and I agree with you.

Regarding being verbally attacked on these forums, it comes with the territory. It is impossible to post anything which everyone agrees with and without offending at least one person or maybe many. Call a fat person “fat” and you’ve offended a lot of people who think they are “big and beautiful”.

The Red Cross and other charity organizations have people who work for them and get paid, not just a bunch of volunteers. So getting paid for collecting monies for something or doing a good deed or a bunch of them is not new and unusual. I do find it a bit immoral that someone will collect money for doing something they want to do, something that people love to do, something that people enjoy like hiking----and then say they are making a sacrifice----this is total BS.

Jesus has been mentioned and his sacrifice. So if you really want to do something to raise money for charity, something that people will really pay money to see and something that will gain national attention, then agree to hang on a cross for say six months----I suggest you will get a lot of sponsors and raise a lot of money for your charity. Heck, six months may be too long, how about a week or two weeks.

So “hike for charity”. BS. Hang on a cross for a little while, or do us all a favor and shut up.

See you out there.:cheers :cheers :cheers :cheers

Maintain

#3

These days it seems fair game to ask for anything. I read about some guy who posted a message on Ebay saying he will have to eat his bunny rabbit for food unless people send him enough money to bu food at the store. He even posted a picture of the little bunny.

If someone asks me to give him money for whatever reason so he can hike the AT, that’s fine. Doesn’t bother me at all. However, he won’t get none.

Bob J

#4

It’s not that I take offense, but those are offensive comments, especially Maintain’s tone. So for those out there reading this thread, I’ll tell you that it seems some people aren’t straight-forward with the money raised from charity hikes, but all the people I know who have done charities have never even touched a dime of the money for personal use, AND as a result of their actions a positive contribution was made to their selected cause. The best way to find a good project to contribute to is to learn who the person is and understand their role in the fundraiser.

It’s real EASY to sit on the internet and cast cyberstones. It’s real CHALLENGING to set up a fundrasier, garner support, HIKE 2000+ MILES, personally write all of the Contributors after the hike, and then face the Easter Day wrath of the cyberhiker judges.

But the good news is that they can’t spoil good news. The fact that my family, the hiking community, and I have worked together to raise OVER $20,000 over the past 3 long hikes for Trekking for Children’s Price family (www.thawookie.com) makes me very unaffected by the cyber judgements. No matter how much negative energy is thrown at us, we shuck it with our positive contribution to society.

Maintain does have a point about motivation. I agree that it’s fair to say that most charity hikes aren’t hiked for the sole purpose of the charity. In fact, I’ve never even heard such a claim. Few if any will deny that they are hiking for themselves 1st, and other reasons second.

When I decided to hike the AT years ago, I was a year into prep when I had a waking dream that said “Nathaniel, why not help out your friend’s family?” Since my friend Josh Price had died in a burning car in '97, his family with 16 special needs children in their care had lost a significant contribution to their income to care for the kids. Since they were already a 501c(3) non-profit org, it was just waiting for a fundraiser and some community leaders to come help out these kids. 5K a year for them ain’t bad.

And to think we’ve raised all of that money while paying for our hikes out of our own pockets.

Should we let negative attacks on our positive projects change our course? No, of course not. The same negativity is often thrown at just the hike. There’s all kinds of fears and potential detractors we could choose to focus on, but instead we smile and think of Joel (with severe brain damage who requires constant attention and a wheelchair) or Ashley (born with no connective brain tissue between her right and left hemispheres) or Jordan (born in jail, addicted to crack) and the other kids of the Price family who make us appreciate life and ability to hike and respect perseverance as they still find a way to look at us and smile right back. Can they afford us to be negative? What in God’s earth could we be negative about after seeing these children smile?

So here’s the deal:

We’re having a musical slide show in Athens, GA, about our recent West Coast Trail hike on APRIL 16th, 6:30pm. The event is to share the experience of the first-ever WCT thru-hike, and while we do that raise money for the Rod Price family of Atlanta, GA. We welcome everyone to come, especially Chef and Maintain. For more information, go to www.thawookie.com.

Love and light,

Wookie

Tha Wookie

#5

I agree with both, if you can raise 20000 and do it at no cost, thats awesome. Every year at the church we do a family day, where all the food and time is donated. People buy the food, the church gets all the money.

And Maintain is also right about hanging yourself on cross, that would be something, huh.

Hey, if I could hike 5000 miles a year I would. But I need more than 500 a month to do it. Thats why I dont.

I was just attacked in another forum by Bramble gotta go/

Chef

#6

Wookie, I like your post. You make some good points and I’ve always found you to be a very intelligent young man. Now that I’ve said that, I would like to say also that I have always been taught “praise in public and critize in private”, “if you can’t say something good about someone, than don’t say anything about them at all”. So if you note, I very seldom mention anyone’s name unless it is to heap praise upon them.

However issues are different. I can talk about issues without talking about a specific individual. And I do.

I don’t always agree with you, but you are a great guy anyway. Some of the greatest people in the world, I do not and have not always agreed with. I suppose that is what makes us all different and life so interesting.

Good luck with your event. Thanks for all you do and for being verbal in a nicer sort of way than many are.

There is so much of this for charity and that for charity, etc. etc. It just sort of all makes me numb, there are a lot of rip offs out there. Some noble people and some noble causes----but some rip off artists also.

See you out there.:cheers :cheers :cheers :cheers

Maintain

#7

This is subject near and dear to my heart. I plan on doing this during my hike next year. Now I am not going to share the cause, simply because it is controversial to some. But in the circles that I keep it is considered very important. I plan on raising support through churches. I also plan on a full disclosure of all monies donated. The format I am using is “X” amount of money for each mile hiked. That money will go to the cause. All of it. Every penny. Additionally I will let the churches and individuals know that donations will be accepted for personal needs on the hike. The churches or individuals may wish to send a bounce box, cash or pre-hike supplies. Anything donated that has re-use capabilities (like a tent or backpack) will be sold as memorabilia from the hike and those proceeds would also go to the cause.

This is not an unusual request. While I am not getting ‘religious’ in this post, missionaries do this all the time. They need to raise ministry expenses and personal expenses. They important thing is to present full disclosure. If someone is deceitful…well…that is wrong.

Just my thoughts.

:slight_smile:

Aslan

#8

Just wanted to add my two cents since I am hiking this year to help raise awareness for the Alzheimer’s Association. I was unsure if I should create my own charitable foundation or work with a pre-established org. I chose to work with the Alz Assoc of FL simply because it was a lot easier and I didn;t have to worry about all the logistics of my own org. With that said, 100% of everything I have raised has gone to them and I have covered my own expenses happily. Over the last six months I have run into a few unsavory chaacters on this forum in respect to charitable hiking. I would like to thank all those hikers that are doing it for the right reasons and 100% for the charity. I leave on Sat for the AT so hope to see you guys out there

BigSlick

#9

Big Slick,
That’s exactly what Bushwhack and I did in '01. We wanted to do a fundraiser in memory of a friend who lost her battle with breast cancer in her early 30’s and we chose a well established group, the Susan G Komen breast cancer foundation and all the donations went to this organization. We did some fundraising before the hike, but all of the support we received from our sponsors went towards a website that we ran at the time. We really didn’t talk about it all that much on the trail; it just didn’t seem right. A lot of people hike the trail for different reasons and, while every cause may seem worthwhile, it gets old when hikers and/or hostelers are bombarded with “hikers with a cause”.

Bramble AT01

#10

If an auto worker, manager, supervisor or paperboy works a day’s wage- they expect to be paid for it. Why should that be any different from an individual who takes six months of his or her life and contributes it to society. Shouln’t they be paid for their “labor” also? Having said this:

I am a long distance hiker who happens to be a fulltime community service volunteer. Any of you know what that means? It means that I work in the communtiy where I live and help my neighbors in ways that are never seen by John Q. Public… (and that includes hikers).

Most volunteers like me are underpaid or paid so far below the national poverty level; that we can get back 100% of ALL income taxes paid out that year! Many of us are also possess college degrees, are multi-talented and are keenly aware as of what is going on in our communities.

In 2002, I “retired” as the Director of Business Development for one of the largest child abuse shelters in south Florida and did a charity hike for those same needy children called, “Hike4Kids.” I gave up a large weekly salary; wrote more than 10,000 e-mails; was interviewed on Christian and secular radio stations such as Dr. D. James Kennedy’s Coral Ridge Ministries and NPR (National Public Radio). The response was simply and incredibly apathetic to say the least. Did I mention that I was very aware of casting Appalachian Trail hikers in the best possible light?

In other words; I worked as a representative of the Appalachian Trail hiking community; the city of Miami and as a voice of parentless children with no where to go… and was grossly underpaid… and I and my family are willing to do it again this year.

Let’s be honest. Thru-hikers have a much worse image to B & B owners, hostels and the such than charity hikers. Most “Charity hikers” don’t get drunk; are focused on finishing our commitments and will be held publicly accountable for every step we took while we were gone. So, we won’t be smoking pot on our summit restings; getting drunk in town or burning down shelters. It’s called “hidden integrity.”

One last thought: "I have no problem with my fellow thru-hikers working 40 hours a week, buying that new back pack, boots and 3-season tent but ignoring the plight of abandoned children living right next door to them… but, you better understand that I will be helping those same kids so you won’t have too. All I ask is that the next time someone like a “charity hiker” ask for a donation; you consider who is doing the “real work.” In the meantime; I will personally continue striving to give the hiking community a good name at the least!

Oh, yes! I almost forgot!! Thanks to all those fellow trail forums hikers that have already given financially or sent an encouraging word along!

That’s what “Trail Angels” do ya know.

Spanky
Hike4Fathers Above the Clouds
ECT 2005-2006
www.abovetheclouds.cc

Spanky

#11

"The response was simply and incredibly apathetic to say the least. Did I mention that I was very aware of casting Appalachian Trail hikers in the best possible light? "

Spanky,

It was your choice to hike a long trail. The reward is the trail itself. Helping children is a fine, fine goal. But to chastise us who don’t give to a charity hike? Shame.

No one is forcing you to hike. The reward should be the hike itself. I detect much bitterness in your e-mail. I’ve seen other people hike for charity, and they seem to radiate joy, contentment, a happiness with their goal. You do not seem to have these qualities.

If you look on your hike as a job…well, seems a bit different than most.

Hike for charity if you wish. But try to let go of this bitterness and rancor you have. It ain’t healthy.

ps. I too give to charity. like the Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust fund. People protecting the trail you intend to walk on. People who are doing some “real work” in protecting this trail we all love. http://www.matlt.org/

Mags

#12

Dear Mags,

I must have hit a tender chord with you in particular! My response was not addressed to you personally or to hikers in general. My response was addressed to the particular thread where “Charity Hiking” dialog is going back and forth.

As far as chastising hikers who don’t give to a charity; you should have read my post in it’s full context. Again, I was referring to those particular individuals who simply ridicule those who perform charity with hiking as the media event but they themselves; remain too self-centered to get involved themselves in ANY cause.

Yes. Community volunteer work is a “job” and it would seem a different view to you because it is not your vocation. You would have little idea the amount of emotional, physical and financial outlay most of “us” exert for any given project. That’s OK… it’s our choice. Just as you would choose what job you are good at.

I am so glad that you are giving to the Maine A.T. Trail Land fund. Keep pouring money into maintaining a way for us “Charity Hikers” to raise money for kids who will never see what we walk on!

Those who know me understand where I am coming from. I do have a sense of humor about these issues; so I will end with this question to you specifically:

“I am making preparations for hiking 4,400-miles across America on behalf of the American father and to write an inspirational book for children called Above the Clouds. Would you consider become a financial underwriter of this project? Your money will go to fund the book editing, publishing and distribution to youth ranches all over America.” :slight_smile:

Spanky

#13

Sorry Spanky, but I found a mixture of bitterness and “look how cool I am” in your posts that many charity hikers do not have. And again…hiking = a job. Well, good luck my friend.

“I am making preparations for hiking 4,400-miles across America on behalf of the American father and to write an inspirational book for children called Above the Clouds. Would you consider become a financial underwriter of this project? Your money will go to fund the book editing, publishing and distribution to youth ranches all over America.”

No, I will not. My resources are limited and I think it is better for me to support the trail directly.

And a question for you:

I am doing trail work this weekend. (Granted, in Boulder) Would you consider some trail work before the hike? Afterall, the resources of the trail are what are making your hike possible.

Mags

#14

Sure! I would love to come out to Boulder, CO for the weekend! And, like many of our hiking buddies; will gladly lend a hand doing some trail work! In fact, I will put in a number of pre-trip hours helping coordinate some more volunteer help from local Colorado businesspersons who financially benefit from all the monies spent by recreational hikers like you and I.

You do realize though; that you would have to pay my expenses to get out there from Miami, Florida. So… can you spare a dime and I will be there! Just give me the plane tickets; hotel expenses (unless I can stay at your place- being the sweetie that you are) and the transporation to get me to the site and back again- not to mention the plane ticket back to Miami when we finish!

If this is too expensive for you- maybe I can donate some resources toward helping you meet your goal of financially supporting one of the many trail maintenance organizations that love people like you and I! You think?

Whoops. Before I forget! “Thank you” for recognizing my contributions to “the resources of the trail” you mentioned. See how wonderful it is when two hikers of polarized degrees can gather together around the shelter fire and share all the worldly possibilites of being members of this big ole’ blueberry called "Earth? and its representative “New World Order.”

Surely, you and I have GOT to be at least two of the 1,000 “Points of Light” others boast about! :slight_smile:

Spanky
Hike4Fathers
ECT 2005

Mags

#15

LOL… look at that! My quotes even show up under you trail name too! We even think alike!

Accidents to happen…

Take care Mags and be keep on hiking!

Spanky

Spanky

#16

" I would love to come out to Boulder, CO for the weekend!"

I am sure you would. However, I just asked if you would do trail work. Nothing about traveling. Or expenses. Or hotels.
Or Colorado.

Sure the Florida Trail Assoc would love if it you could swing a pulaski for a weekend. Most of the time you can even carpool and they will feed you well.

No press releases, no co-ordinating volunteer hours. No sayng what a swell fella you are. Just a simple weekend doing some trail work. You will just be an anonymous, though dedicated volunteer. No press or leg work on your part involved, but it will be very rewarding. Up for it?
http://www.floridatrail.org/

Mags

#17

I’d love too but… that is not my Job remember? I take care of the kids who need adults investing in them and you take care of the trail I use to help get those kids the help they need.

Works great when we work together!! Yahoo! Hey! We could switch jobs and I will take my limited resources and donate “more” to the FNST and you can do a “charity hike!” I learn your world and you learn mine… we become multi-faceted in our vocational interest and the kids AND trail comes out Winners!

:slight_smile:

P.S. Thanks for plugging the FNST. This particular past payin’ member of the FNST loves my Florida hiking friends and our dialog brings much needed exposure to another trail organization that faithfully maintains one of thee most unique scenic trails in America not to mention- is a sponsor of my “Charity Hike” Hike4Kids! Cool!

spanky

#18

So the answer is no then? :slight_smile:

Sheesh…you can’t even volunteer a weekend to help your sponsor. Remember…trail work is not the job for most people, and they volunteer. Can you?

No jobs to switch with me…volunteering ain’t a job. My vocation is not trail work. I give up some free time because it is good to do. “Work” your 40 hrs and then spend 16 volunteering. Think you’ll find it rewarding.

Trailwork is not glamorous, but you’ll enjoy it. If physical labor is not something you care to do, I am sure they can also use volunteers in other roles as well.

Enjoy the trail and enjoy the effort of people who worked hard so you can hike. I hope at some point you give up a weekend and volunteer for free, anonynmously and put in some sweat equity to help those who helped you. It’s not a job…it’s something people do out of their own spare time and generosity.

Anyway, that’s enough for me. I am sure you’ll have some reply, but I’ve said all I can.

Mags

#19

Again, I cannot thank you enough for allowing our dialog to generate an interest in community volunteer work!

I hope you have discovered something wonderful about we people who perform charity work in our and your community think like… it’s work, it’s commitment and is performed with great compassion for those who are the object of the efforts involved. We are also as passionate about our methodologies, beliefs and end results as would be the janitor who sweeps the aisles of a stadium after a ballgame or the white collar CEO who runs a multi-million dollar company.

I had to chuckle at the “physical labor” remark… I was a landscape designer and development contractor during the Atlanta Olympics and have worked nearly 25 years in construction and real estate development on top of all the other “hats” I wear. I have had so much fun in each capacity- that I feel I am a man most blessed indeed!

Thanks for taking the time to step into this thread’s dialog on “Charity Hiking!” It is always good to meet others whose ideas can be mutually assimilated and disected. This was most enjoyable for me personally!

Now, it is time for me to go to my next job… and have fun doing it!

Spanky

James 1:27

Here’s a parting thought: “Is evolution a science or is it a religious belief?”

Spanky