Home!!!

We started the day with a shuttle to First Energy Park. Two groups, known as The Hard Corps (14 kids) and the Pansies (4 kids) started from different locations (The Pansies did a 5-mile walk from the YMCA and the Hard Corps walked 9.9 from First Energy Park). We timed our walk to arrive at home at 11 AM, on Center Street in South Toms River, where friends and family were on hand to greet us. Tom from the National Guard and his wife were on hand to welcome us back. This was an incredible experience. Our longest, most grueling walkabout was at an end. In three years, in the course of six weeks, we had walked 655 miles through every county in New Jersey, had stood on its Delaware, Pennsylvania and New York borders, and had planted over 3,125 trees. We visited the ash trees we planted at First Energy Park. Most were still alive and flourishing. Next year, the Walkabout will be under new management, as the mantle is passed to a younger generation. We thank Wells Chapel AME Church in South Toms River for being there for us all three years, for all the parents of the walkers for entrusting their kids to us, and to the South Toms River Municipal Alliance, The National Guard, The Rotary Club, the Elks Club, The Optimist Club of South Toms River, all our many wonderful venues, The West Long Branch PBO, The Deputy Mayor of Jersey City, the Liberty Science Center, Lowe's Cineplex in Brick Plaza, the many wonderful people at Dunkin Donuts across the state, The Ogdensburg Municipal Alliance and The Board of Education, our special angel, Toms River school board member Jaime Henninger, the Kephart family, and so many others.

And we especially want to thank the listeners and DJ's on Thunder 98.5 for letting us bring the walk back home on the air to our family and friends. As Dolly Parton sings, in her song "Travellin' Through"

Coming home on South Main St.

Home at mile 251!!!

Oh sometimes the road is rugged, and it's hard to travel on

rough, hot walk.

But holdin' to each other, we don't have to walk alone

To Stevens State Park

When everything is broken, we can mend it if we try

planting our first trees

We can make a world of difference, if we want to we can fly

view from balloon

miles =9.9

overall miles= 251.