Causecast

by KAREN MURPHY, Contributing Writer

What do you do when you’re only 11 and you feel passionately about a cause? What can you do, really? Who takes an 11-year old seriously?

Answer #1: You walk.

Answer #2: Plenty of people take you seriously. Why wouldn’t they?

Zach Bonner is walking the 1200 miles from his home in Tampa Florida to Washington D.C. to bring awareness to the 1.3 million homeless kids around the country, so something can be done. Zach’s already walked two legs of the trip, one last year and one the year before (it’s hard to crusade full time when you’re 11 and have little details like homework to worry about), and this week he started out on the last one, from Atlanta all the way up to Washington D.C. It’ll take him two months. Along the way, he’ll collect letters from around the country from people who hope to give a voice to homeless children, and he’ll deliver those letters to President Obama.

Zach is no newcomer to philanthropy and kid-centered activism, and he believes that kids really can make a difference. At the age of seven he started by pulling his red wagon around his neighborhood collecting bottled water and supplies for the victims of Hurricane Charley, ending up with 27 pickup loads to donate. He’s also put together and distributed 1,200 backpacks full of toiletries, food and other necessities for homeless kids, and has founded his own nonprofit, the Little Red Wagon Foundation, designed to help underprivileged kids around the country.

What you can do:
1. Donate to the Little Red Wagon Foundation.
2. Walk with Zach. Live in the southeast? You can walk with Zach on his route and show your support.
3. Write a letter asking President Obama for his continued support in putting an end to youth homelessness and for his continued support to youth volunteerism. Email your letter to zachsredwagon@aol.com or mail to the address here.

Interested in youth volunteerism? Connect with the Youth Volunteer Network or support or get involved with one of Causecast’s own organizations, Do Something.

Image by ezioman, flickr