This year, 47 Saint Anselm College students began their journey to walk 8 days for various charities in Maine and New Hampshire. Each of the students participated walking 130 miles from Lewiston, Maine and back to Saint Anselm College.
Road for Hope began twenty-five years ago in 1988 when Fr. Seamus Griesbach ’02, decided to walk from his hometown of Lewiston, Maine all the way to Manchester, New Hampshire to begin his freshman year at Saint Anselm College. The following year, Griesbach walked another 130 miles with thirty of his friends and raised money for various charities in Maine and New Hampshire. Now, Saint Anslem students have walked 3,250 miles over the span of twenty-five years.
This year’s Road for Hope journey started with a 25th Anniversary send-off mass with a blessing from Fr. Griesbach. After the send-off from the Knights of Columbus, the 47 walkers began their 8 day journey back to Saint Anselm College.
In the morning, prior to the walk, the charity that the students are walking for came to visit and spoke about the charity.
“It centers the students on why they are walking today,” Hannah Bleggi, Saint Anselm’s Campus Minister for Peace & Justice explained. “It’s a reminder that they aren’t just walking 130 miles, they’re walking 130 miles for a charity event.”
During the 8 day journey, the students walked for around 9 hours with a few breaks in between. In the evening, the students reflected on the leg of the journey with each other and ate dinner together. The overnight sites ranged from Churches to Middle and High Schools that are generous enough to host the walkers.
The 41 students walking during the week were asked to not bring their phones with them. Only the six leaders on the walk are allowed to have their phones in case of an emergency. This is Road for Hope’s way of creating a place for the walkers to connect with each other on a deep level.
“Surprisingly, the thing the students most enjoy is not being able to bring their phones,” Bleggi commented. “They all talk about how wonderful it was to connect with each other so deeply. They love how it enables them to be in each other’s presence and to meet people they may not have otherwise.”
Each of the students walking are expected to raise $500 for the nine charities Road for Hope supports on the walk. They also all spend the summer training for the walk in order for them to be able to better focus on the charities they raised money for.
“This year, Orientation was able to fit Road for Hope into their schedule. When the 47 students returned to Saint Anselm and crossed the finish line, it wasn’t just their families and friends there. This year, there were 600 new students. It was a wonderful way to celebrate 25 years of Road for Hope,” Bleggi pointed out.
The 26th Annual Road for Hope has already begun in their planning. Leaders are selected every Fall and throughout the school year leaders will work on coordinating with overnight sites, places to raise donations for the charities, and they help with the selection for next year’s walkers and all the preparation that comes along with it.
The process for selecting next year’s walkers includes an online application that potential walkers fill out. There are questions such as the students’ interest in walking, spirituality, how they plan to handle possible obstacles on the road, and their expectations for the 130 mile journey. This year, Hannah Bleggi and the student leaders will review the applications and select students for interviews. Then, they will narrow down the applicants to 41 walkers. This way the students have time to raise their $500 and train themselves for the eight day long walk.
Road for Hope raises money for nine charities in Maine and New Hampshire; Relief & Hope Services of Catholic Charities Maine, Community Concepts, Good Shepherd Food Bank, York County Shelter Program, Candia Moore School Drug Awareness Program, SHARE Fund, St. Charles School, Kid’s Café, and UpReach Therapeutic Riding Center.