Is There A Way A Person Can Somehow Get Donations Up So They Can Do A Thru Hike?

[Sugar33]

Im Sorry If This Is A Dumb Question But I Really Wanna Thru Hike The Appalachian Trail It Is My Dream. But Just Dont Have The Money Is There A Way A Person Can Somehow Get Donations Up So They Can Do A Thru Hike? Im Legally Blind Im 33 And I Heard So Far There Hasnt Been A Female Blind Hiker To Do This Yet So I Wanna Be The First Blind Female To Do This. If There Is A Way A Person Can Do This How Do I Go Abt Doing This? Also While I Am On The Trail I Wanna Raise Money For The Cancer Society How Do I Do This As Well? If Anyone Can Help I Would Appreciate It Thanks

[Lone Wolf]

asking folks to fund your dream is in poor taste. earn it like everyone else

[Rockhound]

pay for your own hike. If you want to hike for a cause that's great but none of the money raised, (not 1 penny) should go towards your gear or expenses during your hike.

[Reid]

You need to raise $50,000 to get the 5,000/10% to pay for it. If you can raise that much money for a purpose I'm all for it and good luck.

[Jonnycat]

I Think You Might Be Better Off Taking A Class At Your Local Community College Or University.

[drastic_quench]

Im Sorry If This Is A Dumb Question But I Really Wanna Thru Hike The Appalachian Trail It Is My Dream. But Just Dont Have The Money Is There A Way A Person Can Somehow Get Donations Up So They Can Do A Thru Hike? Im Legally Blind Im 33 And I Heard So Far There Hasnt Been A Female Blind Hiker To Do This Yet So I Wanna Be The First Blind Female To Do This. If There Is A Way A Person Can Do This How Do I Go Abt Doing This? Also While I Am On The Trail I Wanna Raise Money For The Cancer Society How Do I Do This As Well? If Anyone Can Help I Would Appreciate It Thanks

I Think You Might Be Better Off Taking A Class At Your Local Community College Or University.

Why in the world are you guys capitalizing the first letter of every word?

[jorhawle]

asking folks to fund your dream is in poor taste. earn it like everyone else

Ouch!

If I were in your shoes, I would start with family and friends, ask them if they'd be willing to donate to your cause. Next, go to local grocery stores, gas stations, see if they will put up a jar by the cash register for people to help donate to your cause. I think it's so cool that you have this dream, especially regarding your handicap...I hope and pray that you get a chance to live your dream. Don't listen to these people saying you should have to fit the bill yourself...it doesn't lesson your accomplishments any if you let other people help pay for your trip!

[Nean]

I know a guy- Pete K- who started a foundation, Hike4cancer. He's a musician and plays gigs as he hikes the CT each summer. Donations go to his dental and health insurance (and perhaps his best friend and co-founder), hiking expenses like gear, food and lodging. Airfare, gas money, room and board for his friends who join him at these gigs, etc. and he has people calling him a great humanitarian for helping terminally ill kids... (after expenses).
I hiked w/ him the first year and it was amazing how he always put himself first and only. The camp we hiked for refused to speak to him again.

[Sleepy the Arab]

asking folks to fund your dream is in poor taste. earn it like everyone else

I agree with this.

Also, I can't help but think that once you hike for a cause, the hike is no longer 'yours' but someone else's.

[shelterbuilder]

When you blur the line between business (ie - hiking for a cause) and pleasure (ie - hiking for yourself), you run the risk of being labeled "dishonest". If you intend to try to hike for a cause, and don't have enough of your own money set aside for the trip's expenses, then you need to be up-front with folks right from the start.

ANY long-distance hike is not a walk in the park: many start, but few finish. Being legally blind puts you at a disadvantage before you even begin. (I'm not saying it can't be done - I met Bill Irwin on his thru-hike, and would have characterized him as "battered but determined"...his dog was just amazing.)

FWIW - my advice would be to get yourself "prepped and ready to go" FIRST. This means getting ALL of your equipment together, learning how to use it at home, and then getting out with people you know and trust who can help you get used to hiking distances in the woods and using your equipment in the field. (If money for your equipment is a problem, consider asking friends and family for donations of used equipment - stuff that is either bought new just for you, or servicable stuff that someone doesn't use anymore. Join a hiking club and get some experience/make some friends there.) After you are ready, THEN start looking for help TO DO THE HIKE. (Don't forget to put some of your own money into this pot!) When your hike is funded, then you can ask folks for your "donations for cause" - and you can honestly tell them that 100% of THIS money will go to the charity.

Long process?? You bet! But you will have done three things (at least):
1.) hiked your dream
2.) raised some money for a good cause
3.) made quite a name for yourself!

Good luck. Keep us posted.

[Lostone]

Plasma

$40 per donation. What a dollar a mile. 2-3 donations per week. You will be set in no time.

I put food on the table during some pretty tough times doin it.

[SunnyWalker]

Mow lawns. Three a week at $45.00 a pop. Won't take long.

[Egads]

Mow lawns. Three a week at $45.00 a pop. Won't take long.

Beat me to it. Get a job

[CrumbSnatcher]

Mow lawns. Three a week at $45.00 a pop. Won't take long.

sorry im a dumbass. i know what legally blind means,but i think mowing is dangerous enough with good vision.
i apoligize for offending anyone? in my post, that johnny quoted below.

[johnnybgood]

she said she was legally blind and you want her to mow lawns?
she'd be mowing more than the grass.garden hoses, cat,neighbors lawn,...
i agree get a job! but maybe not that one?

Not so fast to assume that. My daughter is also legally blind (BTW, I hate that label) and while she will never be able to drive a car she is perfectly able to mow our grass.

As for the OP request for financial assistance to hike the trail all I can say is you might begin searching for ways to earn extra money.

Although if you choose to go to college the National Federation For the Blind ,once registered, can assist you in many ways ,with financial aid a distinct possibility.

If you have any questions , feel free to send me a PM.

[CrumbSnatcher]

Not so fast to assume that. My daughter is also legally blind (BTW, I hate that label) and while she will never be able to drive a car she is perfectly able to mow our grass.

As for the OP request for financial assistance to hike the trail all I can say is you might begin searching for ways to earn extra money.

Although if you choose to go to college the National Federation For the Blind ,once registered, can assist you in many ways ,with financial aid a distinct possibility.

If you have any questions , feel free to send me a PM.

i'm sorry wasn't trying to offend anyone.i apologize. does your daughter mow your yard? different levels/stages of legally blind?
just saying alot safer things to be doing than running a dangerous machine(even with good vision). good vision or not, wear safety glasses when mowing. had a friend injure an eye mowing!

[garlic08]

I guess if you tell donors exactly where their money is going and you actually get people to give you their money so you can hike, more power to you and good luck. If you accept money for a charity, then use the money to fund your hike, that's about as low as you can get. It sounds like you'll be walking a fine line, so to speak.

My hiking partner last year raised over $15,000 for ALS and breast cancer research. He did not handle a single penny of it--every donor made a payment directly to the organization after the hike. He just tracked pledges and reminded folks to pay up. All expenses were out of pocket, so there was no question about ethics.

[Blissful]

My brother is legally blind too - but he wears corrective lenses drives, hikes, works, etc. Legally blind can mean many things, actually.

But read the story of Bill Irwin "Blind Courage" who financed his own hike and had his guide dog, had a fascinating journey, wrote about it and now speaks. Its one of my fav books. You might find it a much more satisfying journey for yourself in the long run if you do the hike in your own power - all the way both monetarily and physically, and then share that accomplishment with others.

Now raising money for cancer - that's another thing. Something I wouldn't mind doing myself, actually. I've had too many loved ones suffer and die.

[Jayboflavin04]

Think maybe this thread needs moved to Straight Foward.
Sugar maybe you should focus your energy towards "sponsorship" rather than donations. I also think that...you will enjoy your hike if it is on your own terms.

As someone stated....Many start few finish...disabillity or not.

[jorhawle]

I think everyone is reading into what she is wanting to do wrong. She needs help in getting money to hike...once she raises that money (which she is saying is exactly what people's money will go towards) she then wants to somehow "give" that money back to a charitable cause via people sponsoring her on the trail.

I have a pretty well paying job, if I dropped it to make this hike, I wouldn't mind some friends and family helping me achieve my dream...I certainly wouldn't think any less of my self when I made it to the end point!