I didn’t know what to say when the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity brother stretched out his arm to shake my hand and tell Dan and me that, “It’s an honor to meet you both and hear your story. Thank you.”
Um, Wow!
These words touched me so deeply. And the reality is Dan and I are the ones who were honored by the invitation to participate in the event to kickoff this unbelievable Spring Break journey the ATO brothers at Grand Valley State University are taking this week.
If you’re wondering what is so unbelievable about their journey, I’ll let the bullet points from their opening PowerPoint tell their story:
• 35,000 Dollars
• 160 Miles
• 20 Men
• 8 Days
• 1 Cause
While many other GVSU Lakers are finding warmer climates such as Florida or Arizona to spend their well-deserved break, these guys are hitting the heart of the Michigan winter to raise awareness and money in support of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Each day of this week they willingly battle the snow and oftentimes sub-zero temperatures as they walk the western Michigan trails and highways to get them from Allendale to Traverse City.
Crazy, right?
After walking an average of 20 miles each day, they are grateful for the local churches that open their doors and give them a warm place to sleep for the night.
This marks the third year for ATO Walks Hard, and within those three years the brothers have raised more than $75,000 to help fight MS.
We, and the more than 19,000 Michiganders living with MS are blessed, right?
Yes. Yes we are.
And this is why I was at a loss for words when one of the ATO brothers wanted to shake my hand and thank me.
I cannot thank them enough for all they are doing. During their kickoff event, each of the participants shared stories for why they are participating. A common theme came through that what will inspire them when the walk gets too grueling is the people living with MS who are battling this disease every minute of every day. They commented, “We only need to deal with it for eight days.”
Still, when we woke up this morning and didn’t want to start our day, they inspired us to get moving. Knowing what they did for us will continue to inspire Dan and me. We don’t have a choice in whether or not to battle MS. The ATO brothers didn’t have to do this, yet they selflessly volunteered to stand with us in our fight.
Who are we to let them down by not giving them our best?
Thank you, ATO . . . and please remember our standing invitation for you all to visit us in Mt. Pleasant! Follow the ATO Walks Hard blog at http://atowalkshard.weebly.com/blog