The Final Chapter - 4/24/15

On Friday April 24th, 2015, Walk Illinois 2014 was officially recognized with the presentation of a ceremonial check to the Vietnam Veterans of America at their annual Illinois State Council delegate meeting in Springfield. I was honored to be the guest of the Council and was asked to give a brief description of the planning and execution of my walk. The final donation total of $23,560 was reflected on the check. I would like to say a final thank you to everyone who acted as a host, pledged and donated, or provided encouragement to assist me in completing my endeavor. To all of you, please accept my sincerest appreciation.

-Bill

Stained Glass Window - 11/8/14

One of my donators whom I did not know and had never met called me and set up a meeting time as she wanted to present me with a special gift commemorating my completed walk.  Mrs. Adrienne Szulczynski of Chicago had commissioned one of her friends from work, Mr. Bill Veer of Freeport to create a stained glass window in honor of my walk.  This beautiful window was an unexpected and thoughtful surprise and was an unbelievably touching gift. I truly appreciate the effort and expense that went into this creation.

Presentation of Donations - 10/13/14

On Monday, October 13th I drove out to the Illinois State Counsel Headquarters of the Vietnam Veterans of America in Rock Island to turn over the $22,440 worth of donation checks that I had collected to date to Mr. Butch Huber, Head Administrator, and Mr. Fred Barks, Secretary, of the Illinois Chapter. Further late donations were mailed out to the Counsel Headquarters throughout the months of November and December, bringing the total donations to date for "Walk Illinois 2014" to $23,560.

Epilogue: Saturday, August 30

After 20 days and 435 miles of walking, several encounters with dogs, a number of days in the rain, a couple of wicked storms, many police checks, several close calls with inattentive drivers, and miles and miles of corn and soybeans, I finally completed my mission of Walk Illinois 2014. It was a very difficult but tremendously gratifying experience. I was absolutely blown away by the group of friends, relatives and neighbors who met me at the border in South Beloit. This walk was something that I have always wanted to do and during the last few days of my walk, I broke the $20,000 plateau in total pledges. I want to thank the hundreds of people who made pledges towards my cause and the hosts and coordinators along my route who so graciously welcomed me into their homes for the night and fed me after a long day of burning calories. My pledgers and my hosts were my inspiration when the road got long and my body got tired. I will contact everyone shortly with instructions  on how to make your donation. This has been the experience of a lifetime and hopefully in a small way, some lesser fortunate Vietnam Veterans will benefit from your donations and generosity.

Day 20: Saturday, August 30th

Just south of US20 to the Wisconsin state line: 20 miles: Left the motel after the rain cleared at 6:30 A.M. Headed north on IL 120 thru Rockford, Loves Park, Machesney Park, Roscoe and finally thru South Beloit. US 51 finally rejoined IL 251 just south of the border. Continued to the Wisconsin state line, arriving at 1:35 P.M.

I was quite surprised upon arriving at the finish of my walk as a great amount of family, friends, and neighbors were there to greet me. Officer Johnson of the South Beloit police department was nice enough to give me a police escort for the last 1/4 mile of my journey.  435 miles completed... zero miles to go!!! 

A special thanks to everyone who took the time out to be a part of my arrival at the end of my journey. 

Day 19: Friday, August 29th

Rochelle to south Rockford at US20 junction: 21 miles: Dropped off by Guy Bays at 6:05 A.M. Started walking thru Hillcrest, past Holcomb, past Davis Junction, to New Milford where I was met by my good friends Jerry Tax and Phil Mertes and treated to a nice beef sandwich for lunch. After lunch and a visit, I was dropped back off to finish today's walk, stopping near Rockford, just south of the US20 junction at 1:45 P.M. I have a room at a motel for the evening, as my host in Rockford is on vacation at this time. I have now put 415 miles behind me and I have just 20 miles remaining to walk tomorrow to complete my 435 mile trek. It is definitely the light at the end of the tunnel that I am seeing.

 I

Day 18: Thursday, August 28th

Three miles north of the Lee County Line to Rochelle: Dropped off by Dennis Weiler at 6:05 A.M. and started walking north thru Compton, where my name was on the community sign board, walked across highway US 30, to just south of I-88, where I was met by my friend Jerry Blum (a retired teacher who taught with my son Kevin at Buffalo Grove HS), who drove his bike out for a short road trip. Jerry brought burgers, fries and sodas for a roadside lunch. This was literally meals on wheels. After lunch I proceeded across I-88 (again, very tough to do with my three wheel vehicle, as no one will slow down to give you a break) and into Rochelle (in latitude reference, even with the north border of St. Charles), arriving at 1:30 P.M. I was greeted by my host Guy Bays, Commander of VFW Post #3878, the Mayor, Chet Olson, and several members of the VFW post. I have a motel room for the night where I am resting, compliments of the post members. I will be treated to a rib dinner at the post later this evening. Leg is solid, blisters are tolerable. 41 more miles to go.