Veterans’ Advocate Brings His Effort to ODU
October 09, 2019
TShane Johnson brought his "Hike Across America" to Old Dominion University this past weekend.
A former member of the military, Johnson started his run Sept. 11 in New York City and is scheduled to end it Dec. 14 in Orlando, Fla. His goal is to raise $1 million for the Gary Sinise Foundation's Restoring Independence and Supporting Empowerment (R.I.S.E.) program, which builds specially adapted "smart" homes for severely wounded veterans. His other major objectives include learning and publicizing veterans' success stories and raising awareness for the fair treatment of veterans.
"I do it because I have the ability to," Johnson said. "I do this to give back. And this a great way to get people to pay attention. And when they pay attention to this kind of stuff, then I get in there and tell them the real message about leadership and family values and how important they are to our country."
While at ODU, Johnson worked out with the football team, spoke with Navy and Army ROTC MIDN/Cadets and staff, visited with the Student Veterans Association, met President John R. Broderick and toured Kornblau Field at S.B. Ballard Stadium.
He also broke the Guinness Book of World Records mark for the fastest one-mile run while carrying a 100-pound pack (his time was approximately 13 minutes) and made an appearance at Saturday's ODU-Western Kentucky game.
