{"id":5546,"date":"2024-03-20T15:37:23","date_gmt":"2024-03-20T15:37:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.troy.edu\/trojanvision\/?p=5546"},"modified":"2024-03-20T15:37:28","modified_gmt":"2024-03-20T15:37:28","slug":"troy-fraternity-walks-128-3-miles-raises-105k-for-wounded-veterans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.troy.edu\/trojanvision\/2024\/03\/20\/troy-fraternity-walks-128-3-miles-raises-105k-for-wounded-veterans\/","title":{"rendered":"TROY fraternity walks 128.3 miles, raises $105K for wounded veterans"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

TROY, Ala. (TROJANVISION<\/a>) \u2014 Would you walk 128.3 miles? What if it was for a good cause?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The men of TROY’s Alpha Tau Omega<\/a> (ATO) chapter do just that with its annual philanthropy event Walk Hard.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt’s a six day event where we walk 128.3 miles from Troy University, to Panama City Beach, raising money for Jeep Sullivan’s Outdoor Adventures,\u201d said Nick Marshall, ATO\u2019s Walk Hard Director for 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jeep Sullivan’s Outdoor Adventures<\/a> is a Christian-focused project that takes wounded veterans on hunting and fishing trips at no cost to the veterans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen these veterans come back from their service, they’re not always in the best place,\u201d Marshall explained. \u201cHe’s a really good friend of them, takes them on these missions, and brings them to the gospel, and he’s just, he’s always there for them in a time of need.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KEEP READING: Alpha Omicron Pi hosts Shop Out Arthritis<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marshall says Walk Hard\u2019s mission is close to the hearts of many ATO members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt’s something that hits home for a lot of the guys in ATO,\u201d Marshall told TrojanVision. \u201cVeterans are not always appreciated the way they should be, whenever they come back home, they really need to know people out there care about them, we love them, we’re here for them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although there may be easier ways to get to the beach, Walk Hard participants say there is no way that is more meaningful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou know you’re on the right road when others are turning around when it gets hard.\u201d<\/p>Nick Marshall, 2024 ATO Walk Hard Director<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Some Walk Hard participants, or walkers, say the journey brings them closer together and strengthens their brotherhood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWalk Hard is one of the most life changing and impactful events that I have ever had the honor of being a part of,\u201d said Theo Thoenes, a junior risk management and insurance major from Decatur, Alabama. \u201cIn choosing to spend our Spring Break on Walk Hard and endure significant mental and physical challenges, we are able to bond with each other, form memories that last a lifetime and undergo immense personal growth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thoenes, who has participated for three years in a row, said he has realistic expectations for the journey, and because of this he had a positive mental state and was able to help support the younger walkers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere were many upperclassmen who motivated and encouraged me when I walked as a freshman, and I did my best to follow their example this year,\u201d Thoenes explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
Courtesy of Troy University<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Courtesy of Troy University<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Courtesy of Troy University<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Courtesy of Troy University<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

While the walkers have a very difficult task, the support team is there to help them through their journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe responsibility of the support team is pretty much to support the walkers in any way throughout the walk, whether it\u2019s giving them food and water, stretching them out or tending to their blisters,\u201d said Joey Trahan, a senior risk management\/insurance major from Monroeville, Alabama. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trahan said he remembers how humbling it was to participate as a walker, and because of the support system the support team provided to him when he walked, he decided to be a member of the support team to help his fraternity brothers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although walking 128.3 miles is no easy task, Marshall says the faces of the veterans who participate in Jeep Sullivan’s wounded warrior project make it all worth it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The men left the Friday morning before Spring Break, and made it to the beach the following Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year, AOT raised $105,000 for Jeep Sullivan\u2019s Outdoor Adventures.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

TROY, Ala. (TROJANVISION) \u2014 Would you walk 128.3 miles? What if it was for a good cause?<\/p>\n

The men of TROY’s Alpha Tau Omega (ATO) chapter do just that with its annual philanthropy event Walk Hard.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s a six day event where we walk 128.3 miles from Troy University, to Panama City Beach, raising money…<\/p>\n

Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":5555,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1127],"tags":[416,368,366],"topics":[17],"class_list":["post-5546","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus-news","tag-alpha-tau-omega","tag-ato","tag-walk-hard","topics-troy-campus"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.troy.edu\/trojanvision\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5546","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.troy.edu\/trojanvision\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.troy.edu\/trojanvision\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.troy.edu\/trojanvision\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.troy.edu\/trojanvision\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5546"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/today.troy.edu\/trojanvision\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5546\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.troy.edu\/trojanvision\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5555"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.troy.edu\/trojanvision\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5546"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.troy.edu\/trojanvision\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5546"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.troy.edu\/trojanvision\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5546"},{"taxonomy":"topics","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.troy.edu\/trojanvision\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topics?post=5546"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}