The other day when I was browsing the Internet, I ran across an article about Zach Bonner. Zach is a 12-year-old from Tampa, Florida, but he is no ordinary 6th grader.
Zach has been giving and volunteering almost his entire life. He began doing volunteer work when he was just six-years-old by helping the children affected by Hurricane Charley. He collected supplies such as tarps and water in his little red wagon. By the age of seven, Zach and his mom decided to create their own organization, Little Red Wagon Foundation, to help children in poverty and raise awareness of homeless children.
He, along with StandUp for Kids, collects backpacks – called Zachpacks – that are filled with supplies such as snacks and toys. In addition, Zach has organized Christmas parties where he distributed presents and food to those in FEMA trailers after Hurricane Katrina. When he was 9, he began something he called 24 Hours. This program shows high school students what it is like to be homeless by having them live in a box for a 24 hour period.
In 2007, Zach started his “My House to the White House,” where he covered 1,225 miles in three legs. The first one was from Tampa to Tallahassee (280 miles) and raised $25,000 for homeless kids. The second leg was from Tallahassee to Atlanta (250 miles). The third leg was from Atlanta to Washington (668 miles). Once there, Zach met with several senators about the plight of homeless children.
This year, Zach started his “March Across America.” Similar to the trip to the White House, Zach will march from Tampa to Los Angeles to raise awareness for homelessness. In case you were wondering, that is 2,478 miles and he started on March 23. A movie of Zach’s walks and the Little Red Wagon Foundation is being made by Philanthropy Project.