PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (WSFA) – The six day trek from Troy to Panama City Beach has come to an end for a group of Troy University fraternity members, and they raised a record amount of money for veterans in the process!
Brothers of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity chapter at Troy University set out on their annual 128-mile Walk Hard journey on Friday to raise funds for veterans at Jeep Sullivan’s Wounded Warrior Outdoor Adventures.
Last year they raised $90,000 and wanted to beat that with a $100,000 in 2022. The walked right past it, bringing in a record breaking $125,000 for their efforts!
You can follow their journey, and donate, online at walkhard.info.
“This is probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life. I’m in tremendous pain, I can barely sleep, as you can tell right now I can barely walk,” ATO brother Brandon Faniel explained to WJHG-TV on Tuesday. But he added, “our pain only lasts for just a few weeks but their pain lasts forever.”
So how does the money help veterans? The nonprofit Walk Hard support helps veterans recover from the trauma of war through exploring the great outdoors.
“It helps us be able to buy airplane tickets and rent cars for the guys, pay for their hunting license and fishing license, pays for their food and meals, everything,” Jeep Sullivan, founder of Jeep Sullivan’s Wounded Warrior Outdoor Adventures, told WJHG.
The fraternity has been doing the walk for the past 13 years.
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