Take Paws The official pet travel blog of GoPetFriendly.com

Pet and Vet Drum Up Support for Military Families

by on Apr 16th, 2010
Tagged as: , , , , ,


Hike for our Heroes

(L to R) Rod, Buster, Troy, Emmie, Mareike, Ty, Julie, Amy, Bridget

We interrupt this blog to bring you a special announcement.

Where will you be at 9 am on Saturday morning? Shiba Inu Emmie and Iraq War veteran Troy Yocum will be leaving Louisville to begin a 16-month, 30 state hike across the US and back again to raise financial support for our nation’s military families. By shear coincidence, we got to meet Emmie and Troy for lunch in Louisville, where we blogged from in yesterday’s post. Here’s what we learned.

Mission to be Accomplished

Emmie, Troy, and their support crew hope to drum up $5 million for struggling military families. And when I say drum up, I mean drum up. Troy is taking on the challenge of raising money by hiking 7000 miles across America … while drumming. Troy’s mission is to spread the word that our American Heroes are fighting just as hard at home as they do overseas. He hopes to provide peace of mind and lay a foundation for military families in need. Troy will also carry a custom Louisville Slugger bat that he hopes mayors, governors, and people of influence will sign in order to garner support for a National Day for Deployed Soldiers.

About Emmie


Emmie

Emerson Elaine Eskridge the Superdog was born in Louisville, KY on June 19th, 2007. Emmie is proud  that she is certified as an Honorary Penny’s From Heaven Soldiers’ Angel Support Dog! The Penny’s from Heaven Foundation is an elite group of well-trained, exceptional working therapy dogs. These therapy dogs provide services to many in need, including our returning wounded servicemen and women. Emmie has a special role as she walks across America: to help spread joy to many soldiers and their families – and she is ready for the challenge!

How You Can Help

Troy estimates he will take 50 million steps during his hike and that each one is worth at least $0.10. You can help raise money by donating to this cause. You’ll find all the necessary information here.

Follow Troy and His Team

Troy will walk an average of 20 miles a day, in all kinds of weather, to finish his hike across America. You can walk with him as he comes through your town, visiting local schools and appearing at major and minor league baseball games.  Follow his progress on Twitter and Facebook.

We were grateful for our chance meeting with Emmie, Troy, and the team and learn about this cause. We hope to cross paths and walk with Troy during our own travels later this year.

Comments

Comment Archive

And The Stars Align Sep 3, 2010 at 6:01 am
[...] It was the Hike For Heroes team we had lunch with in Louisville, KY back in March! Five and one-half months later … we had driven about 10,000 miles … they had WALKED 2,250 miles. And we met up on the east side of the Continental Divide. All because we (Amy) forgot to pick up the camera. [...]
Getting a Leg Up in Louisville Sep 2, 2010 at 6:19 pm
[...] Pet Magazine (LouisvilleTails will launch in June) and a surprise guest that I will talk about in tomorrow’s post. It felt good to be warmed by the sun on the outdoor patio. The staff was friendly and provided Ty [...]
Jim (Doggybytes.ca) Apr 18, 2010 at 10:34 pm
What great cause!

If Troy makes his $5M goal, perhaps he should run for president, he'd do well in campaign fundraising. :/

Go Troy & Emmie!
Karen Friesecke Apr 17, 2010 at 3:12 am
I wish Troy & Emmie all the best on their journey. I wonder if he'll be sick of drumming after doing it for 16 months?
michelechollow Apr 17, 2010 at 1:27 am
Let's hear it for a wonderful service dog and her human. I love stories like this. It is so heart warming. These dogs are amazing. They really break down barriers and help so many people. Through their humans, they are great at educating us about the military (in this case) and about disabilities. A great story!

Featured Posts