fresh_data.csv

tables_record_id	tables_created_at	tables_updated_at	First Name	Last Name	Email	Address	City	State	Zip Code	Country	Phone	What drew you to apply for this scholarship?	What is a challenge or obstacle that you have faced, or are currently facing, and how might time on the trail help you to better meet this challenge?	Where do you find inspiration when faced with challenges and obstacles? When has your courage surprised you?	At the end of your hike (whether or not you complete the entire 2,190 miles), what do you wish for yourself?	Is there anything else you would like to share or that we should consider as we are making our decision?	If you are selected as a finalist, you will be contacted by one of the review team members for an interview. Please indicate how you would like to be contacted (phone, email, text).	How did you hear about this scholarship?	If you answered "other" above, please share how you learned about this scholarship opportunity.	Status	Reviewed By Matt	Reviewed By Maggie	Reviewed By Babs & Tom	Reviewed By F-Word	Reviewed By Harvey	Application URL	Tell us about yourself.	Date Applied
01J4S9RK4P6FFDMB5JASWWH2E1	2024-08-08T15:29:49.718000+00:00	2024-12-30T22:42:24.611415+00:00	Kat	Bell	PhoenixRising210@gmail.com	1377 Rosedale Street	Toccoa	GA - Georgia	30577.0	United States	+14048772778	The great love of my life is the Appalachian Trail. I’ve wanted to hike it ever since I was a small child. I’ve section hiked the first 167 miles, one weekend at a time since 2021. I eat, sleep and breathe The Trail. I do trail magic as often as possible. I love this trail and her people! I absolutely must do a thru-hike… if not now, then in 11 years when I can get social security. I’ll sell everything I own, give the landlord their apartment back, and head north the minute I hit 62, if I can’t do it sooner.  The trail calls to me. It’s hard to explain, but if you know and love the AT… you understand.	WHY?   In a group I’m in, the question was asked, “What do you want to be remembered for? What do you want your legacy to be?” My answer was - and is! - this:   I want my legacy to be showing people that it is possible not just to survive, but THRIVE after decades of abuse (childhood sexual and physical abuse by alcoholic and violent parents, followed by multiple domestic violence situations as an adult); I want to one day hike the *entire* Appalachian Trail not just for myself, but to show *all* abuse survivors that you CAN develop CONFIDENCE, self-worth, and the ability to do hard things and achieve your dreams… even if your whole life people told you that you are nothing and nobody. Even if the voice in your head calls you an imposter. Even if (you think) people look at you as too fat, too thin, too weak, too weird, and so on. Old Me was a mere shadow of a human. Fearful. Trying to be as invisible as possible. Racing around from person to person and place to place in search of safety and security. Spoiler Alert: that NEVER worked well… because I was looking for people who would accept me “even though” I was (insert all the negative adjectives here). Because, like Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers in the Wizard of Oz, I had no idea that the power was within me this whole time. I want to show people you CAN build a happy, joyful and fulfilling life… whether or not you live alone with cats like I do 😂 and no matter your age. I never hiked a day in my life before I was 47… and I was 120 lbs overweight/morbidly obese at the time.  Now I’ve hiked the firstt 167 miles of the Appalachian Trail - one weekend at a time - and am plotting to do more. New Me does ADVENTURES. New Me  EMBRACES my weird. New Me is highly selective about who I choose to spend time with (and if I hang out with you voluntarily, it’s a huge compliment). New Me does not hesitate to cut off toxic people without guilt ir regret. New Me THRIVES. It’s. Never. Too. Late. To. Thrive. Never. If I can spread actual hope and encouragement… then I will have achieved my mission.	I draw tremendous inspiration from my faith, and from stories of others who have overcome severe hardship. The most recent time my courage surprised me was on my last section hike over Fourth of July weekend (Stecoah to Fontana Dam). I got caught in a surprise thunderstorm and had to set up my tent FAST and hunker down at Cody Gap for the night through several waves of heavy storms. The next day, instead of hiking only 6.6 miles to Fontana Dam, I had to hike at least 10 miles.. farther than I’ve hiked in years. My phone charger got drowned in the rain while I was setting up my tent so I was without a phone. My Apple Watch tells me I hiked 14 miles the next day… which I’ve NEVER done before. The last couple miles were after nightfall.  My mind was telling me all kinds of excuses why I couldn’t do such a thing… but I did it anyway.	I will have learned what I’m made of. I’ll have gained strength and courage that I don’t know was there. I will have faced more fears than ever before. Hopefully, I will serve as an example to other abuse survivors - and to my adult children, one of whom struggles with addiction issues - that turning your life around and doing hard things, doing great things, is possible- no matter where you came from and no matter how badly the deck is stacked against you at the beginning. No person, no situation, is ever beyond hope. I’m proof of this and want to inspire and show others they can do it to… whatever “it” is for them.	As you can see… I’m very passionate about the Trail and what it means to me and so many others. All I can say is… please give me a chance to live my dream… not just for myself but to help others as well. I will spend the rest of my life “paying it forward.” I am not in a position financially to be able to do a thru hike without this scholarship. I’ve no 401k, no savings, I live paycheck to paycheck working at a small rural law office and DoorDashing in the side, and nothing I own is worth enough sell to fund a thru hike. I don’t own any property. I’m willing to sell everything I own, but most of it is from thrift stores anyway and not worth much. This is the only shot I’ve got until I retire. And no matter how careful I am, there’s no guarantee I’ll be able to do it then because age and illness and injuries happen. 11 years is a long time.	Text	Other	I saw your booth at Trail Days. I told a bit of my story to the nice lady there and she encouraged me to apply.  This is such a beautiful organization and I thank you so much for existing. Whether or not I’m chosen, I will ALWAYS support your mission. The Trail is powerfully healing… and people need it. Thank you so much. “KatWoman”	Review In Progress	False	False	False	False	False	https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/13BvjZOfZknfyXvPJS2MHitNoCCENRUh7	I am a 51 year old survivor of severe child abuse and multiple adult domestic violence situations. I was a functionally homeless single mom on welfare in my 20s, but was able to get an education and have a self-sustaining career as a paralegal. Ive lost almost 100lbs and regained my health - physical and mental - through hiking and DDPYoga. In short… I’ve gone through hell and created a beautiful life for myself by the grace of God… and want to show other that they can too.	August 08 2024
01J4SGGNN895GYNXGW2M4868R4	2024-08-08T17:27:50.184000+00:00	2024-12-30T22:42:27.170518+00:00	Patricia	Lefler	leflerpatricia@gmail.com	1591 Kenmore Drive, Unit E	Kingsport	TN - Tennessee	37664.0	United States	+14232767652	I'm planning for this adventure well in advance. Knowing it will have a financial cost gave me an idea to research possible scholarships (shot in the dark.) My personal funds are scarce and equipment is expensive, so I'm looking into everything. The truth is I'm going the distance whether I have the best and lightest gear or not, but in answering your question, possible funding help should not be ignored. I'd love to be considered for this scholarship.	As I mentioned previously, I have been connected to our criminal justice system (as an "offender"), but I didn't mention 2 things. For one, it has been an ongoing struggle to free myself, from the system, for the last quarter part of my life. I've done a lot of positive things in the community, and developed strong friendships with good people, but my life has been so different. I want to be a positive influence on others...an example of never giving up...but I have to show myself first. I always said, "one day I'm going to go the entire AT", and now just seems like the perfect time.	I read the Bible for the first time at age 43, while spending 9-months in a solitary confinement jail cell...for a crime that was never committed, and that was eventually dismissed. The Word of God most assuredly strengthened and inspired me in those early days. I know it may not be easy for some to understand, or see it the same way, but it takes an incredible amout of something (it must be courage) to make it through all that I have and still believe in achieving dreams, still want to live (somehow knowing the future is a blank page waiting for another story to be written), and still believe in my ability to move on. This is actually more of an attitude, I guess, than courage. Thinking about going solo on the AT next year should probably scare me, and there are some unknowns that I don't allow myself too much time to ruminate on. I simply know it's what I need to do.	I want to spend time finishing several books. I'm a published writer but have not finished either my Memoir (about half way finished), or a novel I started several years ago. Walking the 2,000+ miles, being a finisher in that area of my life, will (I believe) inspire me to be a finisher in other areas.	Thank you for this Scholarship opportunity. I am amazed to see something like this out there. I know you'll have some incredible people, and stories, to choose from and whether or not I am chosen or another individual is, I pray you are able to continue your work for many years to come. It is such a beautiful gesture of good will and encouragement. May you be blessed.	Email	From the One More Day Website		Review In Progress	False	False	False	False	False	https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iDN3slwA4kzTBw_qHpSat5i8Drebqknb	I am 59 and want to complete trail on my 60th yr. I grew up in Baltimore, Md..joined Army at 18, graduated NC State in 1997, and was a state park ranger for SC and Tn. My husband and I had a son in 2005 and divorced. My life took a turn while fighting for custody of our child. I lost everything, including my freedom...crossing over into criminal activity trying to pay for attorneys. It has been a very long road back, as I have just regained my freedom from the criminal justice system earlier this year. Freedom is not the same now, but I want that part of me back who once traveled through life on her terms. I used to section hike the AT in my 20's and 30's. The best parts of my life have been spent either walking or building trails...being in nature. I'm just searching for that defining moment now, and to reconnect with God, and my true nature.	August 08 2024
01J4VC0RDFZKV57DPV1D4QWVSP	2024-08-09T10:47:43.279000+00:00	2024-12-30T22:42:31.412420+00:00	Amber	Timberlake	tkmountain2630@gmail.com	2630P Shippensburg Road	Biglerville	PA - Pennsylvania	17307.0	United States	+17174206052	Hike the trail would be life changing for us because it's been a life long dream. When we learned about shades adventure online and found out about the scholarship. Money is a big factor why we haven't been able to thru hike.	5 years in recovery from drug addiction and recovered alcoholic. Single mother to two beautiful children 18 and 14. Biggest challenge being the Dissociate Indenity disorder which I have been diagnosed with since 16. Time on trail would give the much needed mental break from daily life while challenging us to keep pushing forward. The past 2 years we have worked hard on living our best life with DID. It would be an honor to share our story and inspire others to heal when the odds are stacked against them.	I wouldn't call it inspiration but just the refusal to quit. It's always finding the silver lining even when it failed horribly. Never giving up on yourself because you are all you have in this world. The courage to even try backpacking after everyone told me it was impossible bc of our mental health. We hiked 400 miles since and even climbed Mt leconte in TN.	Write a book about our adventure and inspire others to never count themselves out bc of their mental health or because other people think they are crazy	My son who just graduated HS will hike along with me as support during the journey. He has his way covered.	Phone	Social Media		Review In Progress	False	False	False	False	False	https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1o3_8kfZBUAJnl6pxPxljFyVuiAhzvXh9	My name is Amber and I am a 37 year old female with Dissociate Indenity Disorder. Love the outdoors and just recently started running for fun.	August 09 2024
01J6CCPWRK4JS3R535TFAWCWAR	2024-08-28T11:42:35.795000+00:00	2024-12-30T22:42:29.215869+00:00	Lars	Friend	larsfriend@protonmail.com	64051 E 10 RD	Quapaw	OK - Oklahoma	74363.0	United States	+15205968121	Heard about it from people that went to Trail Days in 2024 and thought maybe my story matches its mission.	A challenge I've consistently faced is homelessness from PTSD. I find being on these adventures to be helpful because there's a freedom in being outdoors and the constant change keeps me present. I would like to experience a full thru hike without money being the issue that stops it from happening.	From stories of other people who have done similar in their lives, from thru hikers to cyclists to nomads of different varieties. The first time I stepped on a long distance trail was the PCT in 2017, with only a few hundred dollars ended up completing half of it. It surprised me because I didn't think I was capable of walking that far and realized sometimes it's more the genuine connections you make than money that makes or breaks an adventure.	To be healthier and to keep going in this lifestyle for as long as I can.	I have gotten pretty good with social media and editing videos over the years, so with this scholarship In would share the adventure with other people.	Email	Social Media	Shades, The Blind Hiker recommended it.	Review In Progress	False	False	False	False	False	https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1F61FM9TbSo5UCFL_bTBpjDiFDCjDgWqh	I am a troubled teen industry survivor that has experienced homelessness for most of my life since I was a kid. In recent years, I began doing long distance self-powered hikes and bike rides across the United States as an alternative to the addictions and struggles I faced prior. I have hiked half the AT and PCT, while having cycling upwards of 15k miles. Part of the time I work seasonal positions at ski resorts to afford being out there. In 2024, I hiked from Amicalola Falls to Damascus but got off trail due to the expenses being greater than expected.	August 28 2024
01J6CWNJ3Z4MDH29B7EEQRSZYK	2024-08-28T16:21:29.343000+00:00	2024-12-30T22:42:35.359225+00:00	Pallavi	Vedantam	saipalvi@gmail.com	500 Main st	Chatham	NJ - New Jersey	7928.0	United States	+18646500977	The beauty of AT and the adventure it brings.	Financial and personal challenges.	Especially when I am in wilderness I feel courageous and have drawn strength with nature.	I wish to inspire more people to go thru hike.	I am an immunologist chasing dreams of AT.	Email	From a Friend		Review In Progress	False	False	False	False	False	https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1frYFEaVdiUejcoImXHGIFJq8L0qa5ejt	I am a hiker with deep passion to be in nature.	August 28 2024
01J6F9NK6YRG314NZE2STC8WF7	2024-08-29T14:47:10.814000+00:00	2024-12-30T22:42:49.921822+00:00	Bertie	Gee	2princessmama@gmail.com	117 Gregory Drive	Newark	OH - Ohio	43055.0	United States	+17406241249	Honestly the money,as the parent who works part time it is hard to save for big adventures without taking away from my kids	I was born with severe heart defects. These heart defects have led to me being 100% dependent on my pacemaker. I've had to learn to walk again after an open heart surgery that went wrong. My first open heart surgery was when I was 4 years old. I have not known a life without my magical heart. I live life with chronic pain and PTSD because of that magical heart of mine. I have never let these challenges define me though. I want to be able to spend months on the trail to see how this old jalopy of a heart holds up. Not only for myself but for all the heart babies that didn't get a chance to see their 40s.	My inspiration will always be my two daughters, Amelia and Evelyn. Everything I do I do for them. But a good, healthy dose of spite is always good for a fighters heart.	To bring the joy and peace I find out on the trail home with me.	I am a much better yapper than I am a writer.  I would like to get the chance to talk to you to tell my story and why I would be great for this scholarship.	Phone	Social Media		Review In Progress	False	False	False	False	False	https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1cSEEHmDUSPVUKsJDWpM16xEYpGYnhGkl	My recently diagnosed ADHD brain always has a hard time answering these types of questions. My short answer is a magical backpacking unicorn. My rambling answer is a middle-aged mom who has faced severe health challenges her whole and is ready to try and put this magical heart through super difficult things.	August 29 2024
01J6FWY9BE5BVQWFRB39DF7BVX	2024-08-29T20:23:58.574000+00:00	2024-12-30T22:43:17.468403+00:00	Dellaney	Flower	dellaney.flower@gmail.com	27 Lloyd Ave	New Fairfield	CT - Connecticut	6812.0	United States	+12034826236	The trail has always been this crazy thing that I would be ready for when I'm older but now that it's only six months away the reality is setting in. I have second guessed my choice to take so long to do the trail because it seems to some people as somewhat of a personal endeavor which my parents don't see as being particularly worthwhile. It has felt like a hard thing to decide to do for myself when I have to worry about paying my way through college and beyond.  My Scoutmaster told me that this scholarship was out there and that there was no reason for me to back out of the trail if I had funding.	After that big day of doing the CT section when I was fifteen, I turned sixteen and got a job in construction through my trade school then a second job on top of it working in fast food. School got harder and I spent all of my free time trying to keep my head above water due to my learning disability. I worked on my Eagle Project and my Girl Scout Gold Project. I worked hard to start making money for college, I kept up my grades, and I got my Eagle and Gold. What was put on hold was the trails that had lit up young Dellaney's soul. I was so concentrated on paving my path to my future that I stopped feeding my love for the outdoors. I forgot what had motivated me to make me want to go to college for conservation in the first place. I realized that the best way to get back my passion for the outdoors and for conservation would be to fulfill the promise I made to myself at ten.	As strange as it might sound I find most of my inspiration and motivation in the things that are yet to come. I find hope in the fact that I may one day be able to get out of this town and have a job I care about and a new place I will call my home and new people that I will someday love. Now that I have graduated I wake up at 4:30 every morning to work over twelve hours a day doing two underpaying jobs I loathe. I wrestle often with whether it is all worth it but find myself pushing on because of my steadfast hopefulness for the future pushing me forward.	I hope to feel capable of achieving my life's goals. Right now I feel so young and everything feels so uncertain. I want to finish the trail to prove to myself that my hard work will get me to where I want to go, no matter how pointless it seems in the moment and how long it takes to see the fruits of my labor.	For my Zip Code it wouldn't let me submit because it starts with a 0 so it's actually 06812, Thank you for your consideration this is a great program you guys have going:)	Text	From a Friend		Review In Progress	False	False	False	False	False	https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-WD48D6fQx5ePrCzqIf6Tq3dIOYx74je	Hi, my name is Dellaney Flower. I am currently seventeen years young and just graduated from high school. I live fifteen minutes from part of the New York Appalachian Trail, the first time I stepped foot on the trail was in the late fall of 2016 as a young girl who had begged my father and two older brothers to allow me to join them on their two night backpacking trip. As we walked my father told me all about the trail and the people who did all 2,190 miles of it. Being ten I had little concept of how far that truly was so within minutes of him starting to explain this I asked if we could do it all. He laughed at this of course and reasoned that despite the long weekend, I did have to go to school on Tuesday. I paused. Then confidently told him with a great deal of finality for a ten year old that I would do it when I was done with high school then. He laughed again (much to my dismay) and said "Sure honey.". I continued to do trips with them for a couple years, mainly on the AT because it was close and free and stretched on seemingly forever in both directions. But as I got older, stronger, and my desire to be on the trails became even more unquenchable my brothers stopped wanting to join my crazy plans for bigger and bigger hikes and eventually so did my father. My parents started to let me do day hikes on long local trails and on the AT by myself when I turned thirteen. soon I had done all of New York and Connecticut. When I was fourteen I decided I wanted to do the 52 miles of the Connecticut section camping only one night. I planned it out and presented my plan to my parents. They wouldn't let me sleep at the half way campsite alone but agreed to drop me off at the MA/CT line and meet me there then send me off again to pick me up at the CT/NY line the next day. After that success the next year at fifteen I did the CT section in one go in 22 hours. Doing the trail seemed an inevitability to me it was just a waiting game. As I went into my last couple years of high school my parents asked what college I was thinking about and what I wanted to study. I told them another one of my trademarked big dreams how I wanted to go into conservation and maybe even work for national geographic or something. We talked about how hard it was going to be for me to pay to go to school and then find a job that I could support myself with. I had a part time job in construction but that paid minimum wage I was concerned. At some point in the conversation I said "yeah I have some money but I'll need that to do the trail." They looked at me like I was crazy and I explained about the gap year and how I thought this had been decided since I was ten. This was going to happen. I had waited too long to let that little girl down who said I would do it before she knew all the silly little things like time and money that could get in the way.  	August 29 2024
01J6HZZWP3SC6CHFAFYVFV6W0N	2024-08-30T15:55:45.731000+00:00	2024-12-30T22:43:25.819293+00:00	John	Norman	pikapp513@gmail.com	103 Wilson st	Ravenswood	WV - West Virginia	26164.0	United States	+13045310987	Want to complete hike	Having sponsorship to help with costs.	I look to my dog, Nillie Welson.  She's hiked over 1000 miles herself of the AT.   It most surprised me after hiking the whites and asking myself is that the hardest part..	To find inner peace.  And love.	One love	Text	Social Media		Review In Progress	False	False	False	False	False	https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1W_NkjefdTzAvwnzc276aoavYdy3ld-Ig	49 years old, have had 2 lashes of AT.  Still not completed.	August 30 2024
01J6JK9TSTNQWZCBBX2KSBWPPY	2024-08-30T21:33:14.426000+00:00	2024-12-30T22:43:29.558564+00:00	Sandra	Schmelzer	skaterinasch@gmail.com	7061 Snowy Canyon Dr Unit 110	Jacksonville	FL - Florida	32256.0	United States	+17723218446	I saw a post in Facebook about this scholarship and my heart skipped a beat. This was the answer I had been looking for all year long. With some help I could have the best chance at accomplishing this dream. I have struggled financially all my adult life as I raise my child on my own. For me to succeed, I need to know that he will be OK. He is 18 y/o now and we talk constantly about "our" 2025 thru hike plans.	I am an immigrant who moved from Venezuela in 2003 at 20 years old. I was kind of forced to get married in 2004, and had my baby boy in 2006. When I was 11, my mother left for the US to try her luck here and eventually move the family here. The plans did not pan out and I lived without her until age 20. I have a exceptional father who sacrificed everything to raise his daughters and I am thankful for the unconditional love, the wisdom, and compassion that he instilled in me. However, I needed my mother. These feelings became stronger when I came to visit her in December of 2003 as I had done before, and in the spur of the moment I decided to stay with her. This is what she always wanted but leaving my country and family behind was one of the hardest things I’ve done in my life. Things only got increasingly difficult. It took me years to let go and accept my new country and to overcome the culture and language shock. By then, I was already divorced, my ex-husband had fled the country to avoid child support, and soon I would realize that my son was autistic. The journey of raising my autistic child is one long and convoluted one but in short, I have always felt an absolute commitment to do everything in my power to make of him a responsible, productive, independent man one day. Our lives have been unstable, moving from place to place up to 3 times per year. I was able to go to college and though it took me 13 years to complete my Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition Sciences, it was a huge achievement in my life. I was inspired to study nutrition after changing my son's diet one day and seeing how a severely autistic child became aware of the world around him and finally began to speak in full sentences at age 4, only 1 month after the dietary changes. From K and until 2nd grade, my son was lost in school despite the dramatic improvements, and so I physically attended school with him around 10-20 hours every week to ensure his advancement and prevent bullying. Several years I was told that he needed to be held back. I refused and continued my work at school, at home and maintaining a clean diet. In 2020, I was jobless, without my mother, with a deadline to move out of one place and nowhere to go. To top it off, I was forced to homeschool my son. I did doordash to survive and studied with my son in the car with whatever resources we could bring along. At age 14, I pushed him to test for college readiness. He was academically ready but ages behind developmentally and in life & social skills. I had to make really hard, risky decisions but over time they were proven right. Last May, 2 days before his 18th birthday, he graduated High School and also from college with an AA degree. He is still working on prereqs before he can transfer to a University in the Summer '25. These are just brief summaries of a few of the many obstacles I've faced over my adult life.	Honestly, as many challenges as I have endured and overcome, I am fearful of facing new ones. I might be broken at some level. Every time I break down to cry because I can't take it anymore, I begin thinking "well, what else can I do? what are the alternatives?". To me, accepting severe autism and potentially caring for an adult son in diapers, was not an option. To place him in school and see no progress while I developed myself in my profession, was not an option either. To medicate him in any shape or form to make life easier for me? No. I have had to constantly choose between two evils. To overcome my regular bouts of desperation I connect with my inner self and my ancestral wisdom. I allow myself to fall completely, and then I just pick myself up again and keep going. I guess I am surprised to see that no matter what happens to me, I will never give up on my kid.	The AT journey presents as a unique challenge to both me and my son because this is one that I am consciously seeking, and methodically planning and preparing for. This is a challenge for him as well because he has never been without me more than 3 weeks at a given time. We have a solid plan for him and he has a very positive attitude towards this, which means I am at peace. I hope that the trail teaches me who I am besides a mother and for my son to find who he can be without the constant cushion and assurances from his mom. Months ago, I wrote a long list of reasons to thru hike. Besides the ones mentioned above, living intensely is another one of my top reasons. Today we are here, tomorrow we aren't; as you, the parents of a son gone way too soon surely understand. I haven't addressed the actual question on purpose and that is because I know why I want to thru hike but I have no clue what revelations, inspirations, or opportunities the experience may bring. Who knows who I'll be at the end terminus and that is not something I want to dwell on. I have a tendency to be controlling and for years I have worked on myself to live more, let live, let things flow, and just improvise more often.	I just want to express that setting this scholarship for motivated hikers who struggle financially to make a thru hike a reality is an incredible act of kindness and generosity on your part. Whoever you end up helping, I am touched.	Email	Social Media		Review In Progress	False	False	False	False	False	https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1n4cQBdx8LBRDUYbDJ65RCO-TgQcI_AXj	I have lived in Florida most of my adult life but in 2021 and 2022 I lived in east TN. This is the time when I fell in love with hiking and backpacking. My son and I got out as much as possible, met fantastic people as excited to hike as I was, and before I knew it, I had completed 400+ miles of the 900 mile challenge of hiking all the trails of the Smoky Mountains. This is also the time when I discovered the AT and fantasized completing this insane feat one day. It seemed impossible at the time due to my family obligations and my endless financial struggles but early this year I began to really work towards a plan to make this dream a reality.	August 30 2024
01J6MJ15D4XVJS0PEMA5JK1E7T	2024-08-31T15:49:30.660000+00:00	2024-12-30T22:43:37.697419+00:00	Kim	Dillion	dillion.kimberlym@gmail.com	399 Marlborough St, Apt 9	BOSTON	MA - Massachusetts	22115.0	United States	+17027728397	asking for a friend	asking for a friend	asking for a friend	asking for a friend	asking for a friend	Email	From a Friend		Review In Progress	False	False	False	False	False	https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/176KXggEdAeYARDWFRySP1Smvt_0jJUjs	Hello,  can I use this application to nominate a friend for this scholarship?  He's concerned because he doesn't want to prevent someone more deserving than he from receiving the scholarship. My friend is smart, accomplished, and 100% deserving of this scholarship.  Please let me know if I can nominate him in this application.	August 31 2024
01J7HS3WJFG0GK8E73YKJF0RT8	2024-09-12T00:11:18.479000+00:00	2024-12-30T22:43:32.018725+00:00	Robert	Diamond	robdiamond811@gmail.com	13701 Courthouse Rd	Dinwiddie	VA - Virginia	23841.0	United States	+17022193139	Back in March when I decided to pursue a long dream of mine, I began to research if it was really possible for a 61 year old man to complete a 2200 mile walk from Georgia to Maine. I started watching YouTube videos, reading and listening to books about the AT. I found out about Trail Days in Damascus, VA and decided to attend in hope to learn more about what it would take to complete the trail. One of the many booths that I visited was the “One More Day” booth. I learned about the scholarship to help hikers get out on the trail that were recovering from drug addiction or trauma and mental struggles. I made a donation and purchased a shirt. They told me that vets and first responders suffering from PTSD were eligible to apply for help. I took information about the scholarship.  At the time I was thinking about others that I knew who were living with PTSD and how this might help get some others out on the trail that couldn’t do it financially otherwise. Later that day I was sitting in the Veteran memorial near the park. I was wearing a red t-shirt that my daughter had given me that had 22 on the back. A veteran walked up and asked if I was a member of the 22 A-Day Foundation.  At the time I knew little about the program, but I told him that the 22 was the year my daughter had graduated from Virginia Military Institute. He told me about the 22 foundation and how we were losing 22 veterans a day to suicide. He wanted to thank me because they saved his life. He was on the verge of committing suicide when he reached out for help. It was at that moment that I knew regardless of what it took, I was going to thru hike the AT and bring attention to veteran suicide. When I returned home from trail days, I talked with family, especially my daughter who is a 1st Lieutenant in a Military Police company stationed in Hawaii. We came up with an idea to do a fundraiser to support veterans. Sticking with the number 22, we came up with the idea to ask friends and family for 1 penny for every mile I walk on the AT. This would mean $22 for each donation. I went to my monthly Veterans meeting and told them about the crazy idea of hiking the AT and raising money to help other veterans. I talked to them about the scholarship program and they encouraged me to apply. Many of them know how PTSD and drug addiction have directly impacted my life, while in the military, as a Firefighter/paramedic and in my personal life. I know there are many other more deserving recipients of your scholarship, but I would be remiss if I didn’t say I could use the help in completing this goal I have set for myself.	A challenge that I was often faced with in my job as a paramedic was dealing with death and having to be the guy who had to tell family members that their loved one was dead and nothing more could be done. I am often asked by people what was the toughest call that I ever had in my career. It involved telling two sisters, ages 7 and 11, that their mother was dead. I responded to a shooting and while enroute, I received radio traffic that there were two victims so I called for additional help. Upon arrival I found a young female just inside the apartment with two gunshots to her chest and she was deceased. A police officer yelled at me that there was another victim in the other room. When I entered the room the officer told me that the male still had a pulse-but with my years of experience, I knew the outcome was not going to be good. He had shot himself in the head and much of his skull and brain matter were hanging from the ceiling. Seconds later he had no pulse and I pronounced him deceased. The officer told me the male individual had shot the young woman (his estranged girlfriend) and then shot himself. While we were talking, my backup arrived and the medic on the engine told me there were two more victims outside and I needed to go check them out. When I got outside, I found two young girls sitting in a police car. The older one had blood on her clothes and when checked it was determined that it was her mother’s blood. She was very quiet and didn’t want to answer any of my questions. Her sister on the other hand asked if her mom was going to be okay. I had learned never to lie to children when treating them. I told the younger sister that her mom was not going to be okay and she had died. To my surprise this young girl asked if I could go take her mommy’s  organs and give them to someone else. I am  6’3”, a big guy and had often described myself as a Teddy Bear in a Grizzly bear costume. That day the teddy bear surely came out. It almost brought me to tears, but I had to stay tough in front of these little girls who had lost their mom. I told the younger sister that we couldn’t donate her mom’s organs, but that was not the end to a tough call. You see, this call happened two days before Christmas. When we entered the apartment there were Christmas decorations and a tree with presents. The youngest once again asked what would happen to them. Just before she asked the question, I was handed a piece of paper that had the grandmother's name and phone number along with the two girls' names. The police officer told me they were trying to reach her. I told the girls that they would be going to stay with their grandmother. But that was not the end of it, she then asked how Santa would find her. I answered it the only way I knew, “Santa will find you!” We stayed on scene until family arrived. When we returned to the station, we made sure these girls did not miss Christmas that year. Dealing with children on calls was always tough, dealing with children during a traumatic situation was even harder.  In my 28 years in the fire service I could not tell you how many times I had to inform family of a loss, not a number I would care to remember, but each situation was different and CHALLENGING. What do I hope to get from the trail? Closure. I still have the slip of paper with the grandmother’s name and phone number and the girls' names, Tiffany and Brittney. Maybe I will find some place along my 2200 mile journey to leave it behind along with some of the other tough calls that I carry around in my mind and heart. Almost my entire life I have lived to serve others. Always putting them and their needs ahead of my own. I have never been able to put myself to the front of the line. Since leaving the military and fire service, I am continuously asked if I miss it. The answer I usually give is that I don’t miss the job, it is the people and fellowship that always took place in the military and fire service. It was the time spent with others that made the tough days and also the separation from our own families more bearable. They say the AT is a social experience, that is what I hope for the most. A few life long friends that might understand what I have experienced in my life and be there for each other during the tough days, both on the trail and after the trail.	For the most part, I find my inspiration in dealing with challenges and obstacles in other people and my life experiences. I know the world isn’t full of all good people, but I do know that there sure are a lot of good people out there. I watched my older sister fight cancer for years and not wanting to give up until she knew her children would be okay. She inspired me to never quit during tough times. The way people face challenges in their lives have always helped me deal with my own challenges. Small bites will help you get to the end of a meal that you don’t care for and small steps will get you to the end of a long, tough journey. Surprisingly, not all firefighters are fearless. Climbing a tall ladder, standing on top of a tall building, hanging from rope off the side of a dam, crawling in to a small space under ground, entering a burning building filled with smoke where you can’t see your hand in front of your face are just a few that I had to gut check many many times. But I must say the one thing I feared the most was not being able to go home at the end of a shift, leaving my  family without a husband or father. Having the courage to face a different danger each day as a firefighter surprised me on a regular basis. Having the courage to leave and go to work often surprised me. On the day of 911, I woke up and saw what was happening in NYC. I knew we were under attack and Vegas was high on the list for a terrorist attack. That morning I surprised myself by going to work knowing that I may not come home the next day.	Well first, not finishing is not an option! I will take it slow and easy, one step at a time, one day at a time and just know that the sun will rise tomorrow. What do I wish for the most is to know how important I am to the rest of the world, mostly my family. One of my most favorite movies to watch is “It’s a Wonderful Life.” In the movie the main character makes a wish that he never existed. In the end he is shown just how much his life impacted the lives of others. There are days when I often wonder how my life has impacted others, and if others, especially my family, appreciate all that I have done. Being gone for six months, I wonder about household tasks, who will mow the grass, take my little man to school, fix the broken water line, do the dishes, BBQ dinner on the grill, hook the generator up to the house when the power goes out, just to name a few. I know my family has encouraged me to do this trip, but I wonder if they have really thought about what it will be like to not have me around for day after day. I guess what I wish for is to be appreciated.  I know I have made a huge difference in the lives of many, but I guess I feel like I get taken for granted of on a regular basis, and I just allow it to happen. It will be nice to know that the only person that will depend on me while on the trail is ME! It’s time to put Rob first!	I know most military and first responders will deny having PTSD because it is felt as a sign of weakness to others in the same profession. I surely have fallen into that category and have struggled daily in many ways. I know I am probably not the best or most deserving individual to receive a One More Day Scholarship to help me fulfill a long time dream. But just being considered is enough for me. Financially, I will make my dream come true regardless. I may not have the best equipment or be able to take more rest days, but my drive to get to the end is there. I am a retiree on a fixed income and my wife recently stopped working as a teachers aide due to medical problems. The extra money that the scholarship could provide, would definitely make the trip easier on this ol’ man and the finances of my family. I do have some medical conditions that may require me to get off trail to pick up mail packages or go for treatments. I have ulcerative colitis and some of my dietary needs may not be the same as your typical thru hiker. I am a talker and walker, I love sharing my story. I would love to be the voice for not only veteran suicide, but the One More Day program. Our society has a huge drug problem and Fentanyl is taking way too many young lives. At a recent Veteran function, we had a guest speaker that made us aware that we are losing 22 teen lives a month to fentanyl. I hope to bring attention to this problem, as well, while out on the trail. Regardless, thank you for the opportunity to apply for this scholarship and I look forward to stopping by the booth next year when I visit Trail Days 2025..	Phone	Other	While attending Trail Days in Damascus, VA 2024 I visited your information booth.	Review In Progress	False	False	False	False	False	https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1kW5uV_zMHFKwiK5EkQ17dFvkgNUITUmp	It is always tough to write about yourself, but I will do my best to tell you a little about Robert “Rob” Diamond. I am a 62 year old father of seven children. I was born into a military family, being the 5th of six children. Both my parents served in the US Air Force. Military service had always been an important part of the Diamond family. Much of my early childhood was spent being raised by my mother because my father was serving overseas during the Vietnam War. My mother got me involved in scouting so I would have positive male role models in my life. It was scouting that first introduced me to my love of the great outdoors. When my father finally retired from the military, he felt it important to try and spend time with his children and re-establish a connection with us. The Boy Scout troop that I was a member of did a lot of camping and backpacking. My father became a great role model. He accompanied me and my younger brother on many week long backpacking trips, some of which were the Sierra mountains in California, the Grand Canyon in Arizona, Zion National Park in Utah, Great Basin National Park in Nevada and the Uinta mountains in Utah. My father was not a young man and often finished most trips bringing up the rear, but never had “quit” in his heart. My father encouraged a strong work ethic in all of his children. I worked from an early age and continued to work through my adult life.  As a middle child in a large family, I had to work extra hard for my parents' approval and love. Many of my siblings would say that I was my parents’ favorite child. I disagree. I always strived to do the best in my life. I earned the Eagle rank in scouting, the first in my family to do so. After graduation from high school, I was the first in my family to attend college and eventually earn a degree. At 21 I joined the military. Even though most of my family had served in the Air Force, I joined the Army. I was married at the time and my wife was in the Army, I joined and we planned to travel the world together. That never happened. I served in the Army for six years. I ended up being married twice while in the service, neither marriage worked out due to the separations that come with military life. While in the military I did a lot of volunteer work, some of which was to give back to the scouting program. I was eventually stationed in Virginia and it was here where I had my first contact with the Appalachian Trail. I took a small group of young men on a four state hike of the AT from Virginia to West Virginia and through Maryland and on to Pennsylvania. While on this trip I had my first contact with a thru hiker. He shared his story of hiking the AT and that is probably where I first developed a dream to one day hike the whole thing. While serving at Ft. Lee, VA I was first introduced to the fire service. I worked with a lady whose son was a volunteer firefighter for a local department. At the time I had planned to get out of the military and work for the Nat’l Park Service. I was told that having fire experience would help me get that job. I would ultimately work as a volunteer for several years and it was while assisting at a fire on Ft. Lee, VA that I was encouraged to apply for a job as a federal firefighter. I got out of the Army and began my career as a paid firefighter. A year later I would be recalled to active duty in the Army for service during Desert Storm. At the end of the conflict I returned to my job as a firefighter.  I ultimately would marry for the third time. My wife was raising a special needs  teenage child. My career as a firefighter would afford me many opportunities, my greatest being a Paramedic. I would ultimately serve 28 yrs as a firefighter/paramedic working for departments in Virginia and Nevada. Nevada is where I grew up and would consider it my true home because that is where my parents and siblings were living. I was afforded  the opportunity to return home to Las Vegas, NV where I worked for one of the busiest fire departments in the country, Las Vegas Fire & Rescue. My wife and I were unable to have any children together so we considered adoption and/or fostering at the time. We would first foster special needs children for a number of years. One day in the year 2000 we would receive a phone call from a relative asking if we would take care of a newborn great-niece that was having medical needs and couldn’t be taken care of by her biological mother, my niece because she had a severe meth drug addiction. We would eventually become legal guardians of that baby girl and ultimately adopt her. While taking care of my great-niece we would continue to foster other children. At one point we were asked to adopt a young boy that had been in our care. After having him in our home for almost a year we began the process of adoption for him only to learn that he was Hep C/HIV positive. After much soul searching we decided to adopt him and he would officially become a Diamond. Over the next 5 years we would foster and adopt three other children. They were biological siblings of our other daughter ie. great-niece.  All of which would come with their own special needs as a result of being born to a drug addict. The family would live in Las Vegas for the next 15 years at which time the wife had to move back to Virginia to take care of her parents. The plan had always been to move back to Virginia when I retired from Las Vegas Fire after 20 years. Because she had to move there, the kids would accompany her and I would commute back and forth for the last 5 years of my career. There were many challenges with this commute, but we made it work. With less than a year until retirement we were once again asked to take in another special needs child within our family. A niece on my wife’s side of the family was a heroin addict and she gave birth to a baby that was addicted to heroin. Because of our history with adoption and our ability to take care of special needs children, we chose to take temporary custody of the baby until they could wean him off of heroin and give the mother a chance to get clean. Unfortunately she was not able to do that, and later that year she was found dead in a local mall with two heroin needles in her arm. The biological father was unknown and the biological grandmother and siblings of my niece chose not to pursue adopting the baby. Our family came together and decided to make him a permanent part of our family. As with all our children, he has been faced with many challenges. He was diagnosed as a high functioning autistic child. As with hiking the AT, the only easy day was yesterday. My life has had many “PUDS” (pointless ups and downs) but through it all I have continued to take one step at a time. The year he came into my life was the same year Vegas had the Route 91 mass shooting that killed 58 people and then my father passed unexpectedly. PTSD had been a big part of my life for a number of years. These events were the straw that broke the camel's back. It was time for me to leave my beloved career and spend more time with my family in Virginia. For the past six years I have worked on spending more time with my family, been active in school activities and gotten involved with local veteran groups. It was Easter of this year that my family was having a discussion of everyone’s dreams and bucket list items. I told them that I wanted to thru hike the Appalachian trail.  I had to explain the idea to the family and they said…”well go do it!” Since March, I have focused my life on seeing if it was really possible.	September 12 2024
01J7KMK83M9PW4AW4W646N6YX7	2024-09-12T17:30:47.796000+00:00	2024-12-30T22:43:34.129313+00:00	Jada	Lindauer	jada.lindauer@hotmail.com	1248 10th Street	Tell City	IN - Indiana	47586.0	United States	+18127195609	I love Nate's story!  I have witnessed firsthand what addiction can and will do to humans.  I have seen it destroy too many people's lives.  Addicts do not become addicts because they want to, this is what most people do not realize.  I have never met a child who said my mom or dad uses drugs because they want to.  People get into situations through events which are unplanned, that does not make them useless humans, that makes them in need of support.  I love that my family continues to support them by caring for their children when they are unable to.	I am a cross-country runner. My heart is on many trails.  I live my life much like I run a race.  I pace myself, surge when needed and always breathe through it. I not only run trails with my feet, I run trails with my mind.  I am always thinking how to do things better, how to make someone's day, how to help someone.  I would say that has been breed into me.	My inspiration comes from understanding the trauma of our foster children and being grateful that I have not experienced that trauma.  I always somehow have found the ability to empathize with them.  I have cried with them, been angry with them, been angry at them, laughed with them, celebrated with them and even prayed with them.  My courage to take the underdogs and make them super amazes me every day.  I want to have this courage when leaving home and going to college.  	I hope at the end of my hike, I learn something about myself that I don't already know.  I want to be surprised!  	I wish you peace.  	Text	Other	In search of meaningful scholarships that I can relate to.	Review In Progress	False	False	False	False	False	https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/19IduZBufHy3qn7nTbTm-yX39wFtqFRTa	I am a high school senior who by the time of graduation in May of 2025, I will have earned not only a High School diploma but also an Associates Degree.  I have worked hard and preserved not only for myself, but for my family.  My family has taken in 12 children in the last 2 years.  These are children who are considered foster children by the state, but in my eyes children who need hope.  Children who need a home and more importantly people inside that home to keep them safe and take care of them.  I have witnessed the effects of addiction and the realm of emotional damage that goes along with it, by living through some of the hardest years of these children's lives with them.  I know my parents sacrifice everything they have to support the children of people who they do not even know, which is dynamic to me.  My parents are the true meaning of humanists.  They love all of us for our individual selves regardless of our backgrounds.  I hope that I can earn scholarship money as a way to say thank you to my parents, for showing me how to reach goals, be kind and seek dreams.  I want to take as much of a financial burden off of them as I possibly can.	September 12 2024
01J8NPYTZX71AT2V72RT0899CX	2024-09-25T23:06:15.421000+00:00	2024-12-30T22:43:41.193022+00:00	Paul	McDougald	pemcdougald@gmail.com	531 Dodge Street	Buffalo	NY - New York	14208.0	United States	+17165634395	Internet search	Obesity, high blood pressure, and cancer is extremely high in my community. I believe that walking can combat these issues. I want to show that if a 60 year old man can make an extreme walk, any one can do more walking/hiking.	I took care of my wife of 19 years who fought brain cancer for 2 1/2 years, alway being a positive influence with me, family,and friends towards her situation.  I use that positivity to live life.	1. To know that I tried to complete a goal that most people would only talk about doing. 2. Experience a situation my ancestors went through to gain a better respect for walking. 3. To be able to share my experience with my community.	I will be making this hike with my dog in which I have to make sure he is well provided for.	Text	From the One More Day Website	Internet search	Review In Progress	False	False	False	False	False	https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1mAIg6jrebUD_Zj90QWo2hmnqd8QOOXqo	I'm a 60 year old man planning on walking the Appalachian Trail starting  April 18, 2015. My dog an I will walk from Springer Mountain, GA. to Harrisburg, PA. then to Buffalo, NY.	September 25 2024
01J9J6M98ZA79635FTAPSSNK7M	2024-10-07T00:38:50.911000+00:00	2024-12-30T22:44:13.447105+00:00	Sarah	Yawata	sarahyawata@gmail.com	3005 North 3rd Street APT 1	Harrisburg	PA - Pennsylvania	17110.0	United States	+18083336231	Across many of my interests, I have faced access limitations due mostly to lack of finances. It is always an exciting moment to find scholarship opportunities because it presents the possibility of an open door instead of a firmly shut one.	As a queer woman of color, I don't often get to see myself represented on the AT or even in thru hiking communities in general. I want to get out there and be visible for future generations of hikers to know that we ARE out here doing it! After working at a hiker hostel for the past 2 seasons, my life has begun to shift away from the traditional career path and I feel like finally doing a thru hike will solidly put me into the lifestyle I now want to pursue because it makes me happy and love being part of the community.	I have been reflecting and practicing a lot of mindfulness on the trails this year and I feel like the mountains have embraced me. It is easy to find strength in them. I also have a wonderful community of friends and family who help pick me up when I am down. I have lived and worked in many places around this country and looking back on it all I can see that I was braver than I realized in those moments.	I hope to come out swinging and ready to plan the next one! Thru hiking is not meant to be my escape, it is real life.	I have a small dog that will be joining me for sections. I don't see very many small dogs on trail either! I have been recording my hikes in vlog format and plan to do that for the entire time I'm on trail.	Email	Social Media	I watched New Shoes vlogs and heard about this through them	Review In Progress	False	False	False	False	False	https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ubGxj86xfEefCk50-m9yWZNXDxoiIoso	I grew up in Hawaii, which was a fantastic place to be especially as someone who enjoys the outdoors so much. I planned to become a horse trainer and moved to the mainland in 2010 to pursue internships. I got burned out by the industry, never quite making it in, which I felt like the main reason was because I didn't come from money. I also didn't see many other trainers or even riders who looked like me so it was difficult to find a role model or even just someone to relate to in my struggles. Leaving that dream was one of the scariest decisions I've ever made, but I have zero regrets! By switching career paths, I've gotten to try so many new and fun opportunities and gain so many more skills. Once I got my first dog, I started to get into hiking and a close friend introduced me to the AT and backpacking. I remembering saying no way I would ever want to hike a trail that long.... but slowly and surely it became my main focus over the past several years until I finally couldn't get it out of my head.	October 07 2024
01JB8GD4WFBZQATR2KJHRFEX3T	2024-10-28T02:48:42.127000+00:00	2024-12-30T22:44:18.290784+00:00	Eric	Therrien	littlebyslow1010@gmail.com	2772 Eagle Peak Road	West Brookfield	VT - Vermont	0.0	United States	+16033911837	It has been my dream to thru hike the Appalachian Trail for many years but have never had the extra money needed.	I recently finished a 45 month incarceration on charges related to drug and alcohol abuse and feel that hiking the trail will give me time to re-evaluate and establish some positive goals to help me move forward and re-enter society as a responsible citizen.	I have begun to follow the teachings of Buddha with help from a Llama.  I also have the support of a close friend.  My courage to not give up has come from my daily prayers and meditation.	My goals at this time involve reconnecting a relationship with my son and receiving support from my immediate family.  I also wish to use perseverance in helping me overcome my fears. A future goal is to help encourage other hikers in their recovery efforts.	I lost my way to addiction that started out as recreational use in the 80's and 90's.  I attended my first rehab of many and remained substance free for ten years. After a hip surgery I was put on pain killers and eventually relapsed.  One thing I have realized is recovery can also set one up for failure.  Fear of relapsing and disappointing others created many insecurities for me and unfortunately set me up to fail.  The struggle became real and my life fell apart.  I became a master manipulator in securing all the drugs I craved and depended on.  My life was out of control. It all came crashing down four years ago and basically saved my life. Fast forward to today and my "clean time." I don't count days anymore.  I now make days count. I am currently living in a family camp (very rustic) in the woods of Vermont to help me transition and look to the future. One of my hiking goals is to carry a list of names with me of those who have left us too early to drug overdose.  It is my plan to send them up on a spiritual cloud of smoke in an offering of cedar, sage, sweetgrass and tobacco. I was saddened to learn that this scholarship came about through the untimely  loss of Nate. I would be honored to carry him with me as well. Thank you for your time and consideration.	Phone	From a Friend		Review In Progress	False	False	False	False	False	https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1EgEikIweOhZIRhSUVMCj7a6vfYAjDyts	I am 53 years old, divorced, and father to a 20 year old son.	October 28 2024
01JBJ1W1TS1S81KCAPPWPSMC2V	2024-10-31T19:47:06.201000+00:00	2024-12-30T22:44:25.704988+00:00	Kevin	Ryan II	amazingartguy@gmail.com	153 Northern Ave	Farmingdale	ME - Maine	0.0	United States	+12075000766	In 2021, I made my first through hike attempt, ultimately completing approximately 1100 mi of trail. I finished that hike with over a month of helping Nimblewill Nomad complete his age record that year at 83. On Christmas day of 2023 I lost my mom to heart disease. This, among other reasons ultimately drove me to make a second thu hike attempt in 2024. This time, I only completed 120 new Trai miles and approximately 600 mi in total. The biggest obstacle to completing both hikes was in having adequate funds for hostel stays and town shuttles. This was particularly challenging in 2024 as I begin that hike with no money whatsoever. I lost well over two full months of prime hiking season doing fundraising and work for stay. I had a lot more experience and resources on my second thru attempt, but the complete lack of financial assistance was the biggest obstacle in completing more miles overall.	I have struggled with my mental health issues my entire life. I particularly struggle with anxiety, depression, adhd, undiagnosed autism spectrum disorder, PTSD, and suicidal ideation. I have been consistently under treatment including medicine and ongoing therapy for nearly a decade. But I have found in the last five seasons around the trail community, that nothing seems to better treat my symptoms than hiking in nature and connecting with people on trail. My close friends and family consistently report a marked difference in my energy and daily functioning when I'm outside hiking everyday. While I try to continue exercise and outdoor experiences even in the offseason, nothing forces and inspires me to be active more than being on trail. But the connection with the trail community has proven very challenging to replicate.	I am both a writer and trained as a visual artist, and self-expression often takes form as writing or creating art. Inspiration for my expression often comes from walking and experiencing the outdoors. I grew up in Maine playing outside in every season. Even before I rediscovered hiking just a few years ago, walking was always the number one healthy coping mechanism on my outpatient mental health treatment plans. I have always been a very strong-willed and determined individual. And though I've never truly felt safe around my abusive alcoholic father, even at nearly 50 years old, standing up to my father's abuse has never been easy, but doing so has always been a source of pride. Also, when my mother passed in 2023 I wasn't prepared for how devastating that loss would be for me. I'm not sure where I got the courage to return to trail to warn her lost but I'll be eternally grateful that I found it.	I have been essentially homeless going on 6 years. And I've been out of work virtually all of that time. I'm currently in process of applying for social security disability. This can be a very long and drawn out process. But rather than spend that time allowing myself to descend into depression, or get stuck in a rut I've chosen to continue to return to Trail in a quest for treating my symptoms and finding my way.	First off, I am K1tch3n Sink, but I'm not the "wa-wa" guy. Iykyk. #callmekitchensink was another hiker who is known for commenting on every water source between Georgia and Maine, and he is also known for calling "Wawa" and was often believed to be commenting on Far Out as a way of promoting his YouTube channel. As such, he was as loved as he was hated. We met briefly in the hundred Mile wilderness that year. While he is known as the water source guide, I am known as K1tch3n Sink for the classic overpacking idiom. As in "... Everything but the kitchen sink " And in that way I consider myself a mobile Trail Angel as I have over-the-top repair and first aid kits. With the ultralight trend, these are items often cut from pack weight. But I always have what someone else may need. Wild while I also have a YouTube channel, I'm not great about keeping it updated and I've done very little to promote it. However it can be found on YouTube by searching for either my given name "Kevin Ryan II" or "K1tch3n Sink" I would be unbelievably grateful if I was a awarded a scholarship. I honestly have no idea how I'll make it through next season and this would be a dream come true. I also hope to use this experience towards continued work on my trail memoirs as well as a series of illustrated works for children and adults.	Phone	Other	Saw the table at Damascus Trail Days 2024.	Review In Progress	False	False	False	False	False	https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1FG0VT-6DIRek3VuRe5i9wFvkk11pQCDi	My trail name is K1tch3n Sink. As a Maine native my hiking journey began at age 14 with my first ever hike. Every year the inaugural trip of my high school's outing club was up Katahdin the tallest mountain in Maine. My first time in the fall of 1990, I immediately fell in love with hiking. Our outing club advisor had completed a thru hike sometime in the late '70s or early '80s and thusly I soon found out about the A.T. With the exception of a couple of overnight hikes, my first ever backpacking trip at age 17 was a three night weekend trip of the 30 mile Mahoosuc Trail. Over the next 30 years, I continued to dream of one day completing a Thru hike of the A.T. though I did little more than day hikes, I read multiple books and made at least one attempt to plan a full thru hike. It wasn't until the summer of 2020 that I would finally make it out for another backpacking trip. Over 2 years homeless in maine, the loss of multiple friendships, my job, and all of my personal belongings as well as a 3-week inpatient hospital stay following an emotional breakdown is what ultimately drove me back to the mahoosuc trail for healing and self discovery. During my 4-month hike of all of Maine in 2020, I discovered a sense of belonging in the greater Trail community. And I have spent the last five seasons either hiking or working at hostels all along the A.T.	October 31 2024
01JBJHY3FD913G1SM7E15GN5MA	2024-11-01T00:27:50.637000+00:00	2024-12-30T22:44:21.987683+00:00	Feno	Ralibera	fenralibera@gmail.com	3447 92nd street,	Jackson Heights	NY - New York	11372.0	United States	+19294716151	First of all I wanted to share my story, and to certain extent, i could relate my story to Nate's. Instead of keeping it to myself and fighting my own struggle by myself, I choose to let  you know and seeking for stretched helping hands. I plan to do my first attempt of the AT thru-hike in 2025, and I need help for my rent during 5-6 months, which is $650/ month. Any help is welcome and very encouraging.	I have depression, and have a high blood pressure issue, all of those I do not take medication and I treat them with lifestyle and diet. Hiking in the trail is tremendous help to me. It is challenging and mostly for my health. All people in my family have health issues, and I need to cut the cycle.	Yes my courage has surprised me, I find all inspiration from a lot of people around me, story of people, my deceased family, my own journey, I come from far away to be where I am now, I should find the courage to move forward.	if God's willing i come to finish the hike, I wish to continue the hike more and more, and not to have a depression anymore. I know it is an enemy that is lurking and may come anytime.	When I read Nate's story, the sentences "We were and will always be proud of Nate. We are not embarrassed by or ashamed of Nate, or the struggle he went through" is so striking to me, I wish that my late parents and late siblings that loved me wold say the similar sentences in spite of my struggle. Thanks for reading.	Phone	Other	search on Google. I searched for it after I heard from "American Long-distance hiking association-west " that there are different existing scholarship.	Review In Progress	False	False	False	False	False	https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1HbEOuVqLEJD2z2BBo_db4v4HhM72rb6j	I am a mature male of 50 years old, single unmarried. I am originally from Madagascar, South East of Africa. I came to live to the United States when I was selected randomly to apply for a legal immigrant in 2009. I went to college in my home country, for now I work as a caregiver in a nursing home since 2023, my personality is more ESFJ, I tend to do things for others, I like to cook. I used to be the chef for the Church for Sunday lunch. We would have lunch after Church service, I had a business in catering and food truck since 2018 to 2021. I have a pretty bubbly, cheerful personality and outgoing. I started having depression since I lost my younger brother at 39 y/o to Covid. and I lost my older sister to cancer at 56. They are my friends, that I used to talk to regularly. We grow up together and used to help each other. I lost my business during that pandemic and all that added was a dark period in my life. i lost the taste of life during 2022. It was so hard for me, to certain extent I lost the motivation to live. thinking that I might end up dying early too one day. in my family my late parents died younger, my dad had a stroke in his late 50s, my Mom passed away in her early 70s, she had Alzheimer. So I started hiking in 2022  and fell in love with it. It is my therapy and helped me moving on.	November 01 2024
01JC13KZ4WBEVKQ6Y9JM0H4YB6	2024-11-06T16:06:14.940000+00:00	2024-12-30T22:44:32.537147+00:00	Douglas	Riley	radnomad47@gmail.com	250 Crossbow Dr	Columbia	SC - South Carolina	29212.0	United States	+12343227688	I have been absolutely obsessed with the AT for years now but unfortunately I'm in way too much debt to even think about being able to afford a thru hike.	I moved 600 miles away from my hometown of 32 years just 3 months ago. I moved by myself in attempt to start on a new path and spend time working on myself. It's been a very uncomfortable and lonely transition at times but I realize the reward in it all and it keeps me positive and always moving forward.	I find inspiration in knowing that if I am the best version of myself, only then will I be able to help others feel like their "best self" as well. Overcoming challenges and obstacles is generally never enjoyable, but always worth the growth and lessons learned. My courage surprises me through supporting my mother who isn't in the best of health and my younger brother who struggles with an opioid addiction. Remaining strong for them is important and with that I've learned a lot about how strong and resilient we are as humans.	To find the context to help reveal more of who I truly am. To feel that sense of accomplishment and know that can translate to anything I set my heart to.	I would love to become more involved with organizations such as "one more day on the AT". My passion truly lies on the trail and I want to make it more of my life and inspire others to do the same.	Text	Other	A Podcast with a guy named Ronnie Petit. It's called hiker trash by local exposure magazine	Review In Progress	False	False	False	False	False	https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/16msKrZmXjUUO41qUu_OD7ihNVoQneHQu	I'm 33 years old and living in Columbia, SC. I recently moved from Ohio after living all of my life there. Hiking is very much a meditation and my strongest connection with nature and who I want to be.	November 06 2024
01JC9X4816RH8M55TQ75NSFN0F	2024-11-10T02:05:58.182000+00:00	2024-12-30T22:44:35.072742+00:00	Jessie	Smid	slave2metal90002@gmail.com	17411shippings rd	Dewitt	VA - Virginia	23840.0	United States	+14347747764	I have no money no savings, my dreams are completely out of reach at this point. I did a search for somthing like this out of desperation and depression.	I need time to find myself, figure out who I am and be confonfident in that. I need to be independent and find somthing to do in life. This will help me bond with nature  to clear my head. I know if I can do that I'll reach my goals after.	Im not really sure. Somtimes it just the challenge itself that excites me. It has been awhile since I've had the confidence to try.	To be able to make a living on my own and start following my dreams again, instead of wallowing in depression loosing who I could've been.	If i receive this opportunity, I will stick it out to the finish and use every bit of it to better myself and help other people in the end	Email	Other	I was searching online for some kind of hope for my life.	Review In Progress	False	False	False	False	False	https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1U5o5Tvig_p_0yJ5fOmYMrpH17q7p65k3	Im 29. I dont feel safe or really wanted at home or anywhere. I have planned to do it years back, a scholarship would deffinitally make it worth it. I need a new chance at life.	November 10 2024
01JDMHZ4M4DS5D2KY54XWHKH7A	2024-11-26T15:38:17.092000+00:00	2024-12-30T22:44:38.705273+00:00	David	Leighton	dleighton013@gmail.com	41 Elm st	Newport	ME - Maine	4953.0	United States	+12074686371	A friend showed me after talks about me leaving in March and struggling to buy gear and supplies.	Drug addiction has ruined my life, I've lost my job, my girlfriend, and my family. I need to reconnect with myself and nature.	When others need help I am willing to give of myself to better them, even when it causes a hardship for myself.	To be sober and find a new lease on life.	As someone who has been working hard to overcome addiction, I believe that this journey would be an incredible opportunity to continue my healing. The physical and emotional challenges of hiking the Appalachian Trail would provide me with the space, focus, and sense of accomplishment I need to strengthen my recovery and grow as an individual. Being on this path to recovery has shown me the importance of self-care, perseverance, and connection with nature. I am deeply motivated to use this experience to build upon the progress I’ve made, and to inspire others in similar situations to pursue healing through meaningful experiences. I am grateful for your consideration of my application, and I would be honored to be selected for this scholarship. Thank you for the incredible work you do in supporting individuals in recovery, and for offering opportunities that can truly change lives.	Phone	From a Friend		Review In Progress	False	False	False	False	False	https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1VWzsCwF-7BBxIPWIgXD5jsIwPkC6NNWt	I'm 35 years old and have been struggling with drug addiction for many years. I am planning on hiking the trail to break away from my addiction and reset my life, to this point everything else has failed to pull me out of it. I have been working on my recovery without any help at this point, but this would help me tremendously.	November 26 2024
01JDQXHH832SVZZH6P3H42SF64	2024-11-27T22:58:17.475000+00:00	2024-12-30T22:44:40.888741+00:00	Melissa	Bartel	drillarwens@gmail.com	100 S. Hill Ave	Ogilvie	MN - Minnesota	56358.0	United States	+13203621475	I did a failed attempt on the Appalachian Trail in 2019 I loved the experience but I had to get off due to financial reasons with this scholarship I will be able to get all the way to mount Katahdin in 2025!	Growing up in a large family I often felt like I was being left out, since then anytime someone forgets me I feel like I am not loved. When I was on the trail in 2019 I found a trail family that loved me and never forgot to include me.	Spending time alone and with trail family in the woods.	Being able to realize that people love me even if they forgot to include me.	I will be doing my Appalachian Trail thru hike in 2025 with my dog (German Shorthaired Pointer) Arwen.	Text	From a Friend		Review In Progress	False	False	False	False	False	https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1QGbxMCV_qrtrEYkbR4adcUoxXD2H8XKX	I grew up in rural Minnesota in a large family that went on lots of camping trips when I was younger. Ever since I love doing all things outside even when its a blizzard.	November 27 2024
01JDZKK9D1PCZT8W9KW07XH2A5	2024-11-30T22:38:24.673000+00:00	2024-12-30T22:44:43.610699+00:00	Mandy	Bartel	mandels.happy@gmail.com	100 S Hill Ave	Ogilvie	MN - Minnesota	56358.0	United States	+13203620316	I attempted thruhiking the AT SOBO, a few years and had to quit in Damascus due to financial reasons. So I would love to be able to complete next year with out stressing about money	A challenge I’ve faced is moving back in with my parents to try and save money for this trip. Time on trail will help me get some time to think about where I want to be in 5 years and make a plan to get there.	I find my inspiration and courage in Jesus Christ. He has helped me through life this far and I trust he will be there until the end. My courage surprised me when I hiked most of the AT with just my younger sister, we had no weapons or protection to use in case of bears or other wild life and never had stress about it or any issues.  	I wish the I will be more financially and physically ready for more long distance hikes.	I am planning on hiking NOBO this time. And will be going with my 2 dogs.	Email	Social Media		Review In Progress	False	False	False	False	False	https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1aQEWjQfjWzGxgLbVjfZ6NMl2T_sDYnog	I am the 4th oldest in a family of 9 kids. All 9 kids have the same two parents and we grew up as a close family. We were all homeschooled and we did day hiking and weekend camping as a family a lot. I have 2 dogs now, a vizsla and a treeing walker coonhound, they are amazing dogs with unlimited energy.	November 30 2024
01JF365MHXJWCFK34TVR1ARGTM	2024-12-14T18:16:25.405000+00:00	2024-12-30T22:44:46.486325+00:00	Samantha	Tillis	samanthatillis@gmail.com	91 Tidwell Hollow Road	Oneonta	AL - Alabama	35121.0	United States	+12057779165	It’s specifically targeted towards the Appalachian Trail. Having a grant would able me to complete it much sooner.	I recently lost my one and only sibling and brother. It’s truly devastating. My world completely changed. I stopped going to school for now. I couldn’t focus anymore. But with that, I realized how truly short and fragile this life is. The Appalachian Trail has always been high on my bucket list. I would like to complete it before I die. Being on the trail will help me mentally and physically to appreciate this beautiful thing called ‘life’.	I find a lot of inspiration in God. Whether you believe or not, your body will take you further than your mind thinks it will. Until you’re dead, you keep trucking.	A more positive mindset and lifestyle. It will also force me to be with my emotions more. Being able to process the tremendous weight of grief. Able me to appreciate the world around me. Being present.	Before my brother passed, I was studying horticulture. I have a tremendous love for plants and fungi. I could stand and marvel at them all day. Being able to hike the 2,190 miles and seeing all the various plant and fungi through different regions will be amazing.	Email	Other	I google searched Appalachian Trail hiking grants.	Review In Progress	False	False	False	False	False	https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1aT_ZOV6jokQcCJYtYUnYH7kO-zxj8VT0	Hello. I am 25 years old. I have always dreamed of completing the Appalachian Trail ever since I read the book “A Walk In the Woods” in 6th grade. I just have never taken any steps to complete it or prepare. That has recently changed. I know grants exist for people wanting to go on adventures. As I do not come from money of any sort, saving up for the AT would take me years to do. And I would like to do it before I’m in my 30’s. I love the outdoors and is really where I am at peace the most. There is so much beauty outdoors. So much interesting stuff I see everyday, that I may have never seen before. Fungi, bugs, flowers. I want to experience true freedom of the outdoors and to hike the 2,195 miles.  	December 14 2024
01JFEKX6J2MFBVD4CGP13XQ97H	2024-12-19T04:48:07.746000+00:00	2024-12-30T22:44:48.319846+00:00	Sam	Green	wanderwithsam0032@gmail.com	30 s. 5th ST	Shamokin	PA - Pennsylvania	17872.0	United States	+15702384221	The Appalachian Trail is an obsession at this point. This obsession started sometime in the 7th grade when Mrs. Silakowski showed us a documentary on the Appalachian Trail. Since I have thought about this trail at least once a day. In 2020, I gave up everything to hike the trail after saving all the money. I worked 2 jobs plus Instacart for two years to save money for a NOBO attempt. I quit my job, left my apartment behind, left my dog with family, and on February 20, 2020, set on the 2200-mile adventure. I hiked from Springer to Newfound Gap. It was the greatest month I have ever had. For the first time in a long time, I felt alive again. I was finally happy again. The trail was everything I thought it would be and more. All I had to do was wake up, hike, eat, sleep, repeat. My brain had a chance to reset and clear. I was out of my head and life was looking good for the first time in a long time. Then on March 24, 2020, COVID came and forced us off the trail and you know the rest. This year I am retaking the risk. On January 1, 2025, I am heading to Springer again. I feel like my first attempt was stolen from and every day since I have had this pain in my heart, driving me insane. For the first time in forever, I felt human again and COVID took it away. This year I am going to try and reclaim that feeling. So no matter what I am heading out to the trail again but unfortunately this time my money situation is not ideal. I am just reaching for the stars here.	In 2023, I quit drinking and smoking. I never allowed myself the chance to experience being sober as I just immediately resumed work and school. This is my little break so I can just breathe and reset my brain. My life has been a constant struggle with addiction, depression, and hardship from factors outside of my control such as hurricanes, recession, and pandemics. The wilderness helps me feel human again. When I can shut out the world and just focus on myself and the task at hand for that day (which is how far I want to hike) it's a nice brain break. My life is stale and the reset provided by adventuring helps me in the long term more than any therapy could ever. The other obstacle I face regularly is the overwhelming feeling that my hike was stolen from me in 2020. I have been on other adventures since like my walk in 2021 where I walked from NJ to IL to raise money for homeless veterans, but to be honest, that trip did nothing for me. It is the Appalachian Trail that I need to finish.	When faced with challenges and obstacles the inspiration I find comes from my willpower which never allows me to give up. I have always been a stubborn fighter and I never give up until I am satisfied. My courage has surprised me a few times when dealing with the obstacles thrown at me. During Hurricane Sandy, my family and I lost everything but I fought and fought and eventually helped rebuild our lives. At the age of 30, I decided it was time to get out of the food industry and went back to college and now I am considering law school. I quit drinking and smoking and immediately went on about my life which took everything in me. The key is to come up with a plan and stick to it.	I wish to be the best version of myself. I want to be loving, capable, happy, healthy, helpful, god loving, sober, fit, fearless, and overall a better human. Healthy both mentally and physically. Reset.	As soon as I hit send I will think of a million other things.	Text	Other	Google	Review In Progress	False	False	False	False	False	https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1x1eJ6MjVESKEYyLnlXX9Jy5X3OVl4nz0	Hello. My name is Sam Green. I am originally from the small fishing town of Highlands, NJ, but I currently live in Shamokin, PA. I love the outdoors, driving around with the windows down listening to music, camping, hiking, swimming, and having new experiences. I am a lover of life. I love my fellow humans. I make friends with strangers while on line at the store. I am loud, goofy, and will do whatever I can to always uplift other people. I love God. I love my friends and family. I love life.	December 19 2024
01JG4W6VMK50SYHS4SYAM55RB4	2024-12-27T20:16:30.355000+00:00	2024-12-30T22:44:51.087050+00:00	Carolyn	King	doozerck@yahoo.com	174 Clifton St	Peterborough	NY - New York	123456.0	Canada	+17058758410	I was drawn to apply for this scholarship because Nate's story so easily could have been my own.  I am one of the lucky ones who survived my years of active addiction, but I attribute that to luck more than anything else.  I am no more deserving of a happy and joyous recovered life than any other person struggling with addiction, but as someone who did survive and come out the other side, I owe it to my friends and others who were not so fortunate to live my life to the fullest and not take my recovery for granted.   I first heard of the AT at age 16, before a drug had ever entered my body.  I dreamed of thru-hiking after graduating high school, and planned obsessively (in the way teenagers do best).   Unfortunately, I found drugs (or drugs found me) at age 18, and my addiction took over very quickly.  There were no post-high school dreams for me anymore, just an agonizing descent into a life I equated to a hell on earth.  I could not escape it, and the only thing I knew to do was to keep using drugs to escape the increasingly traumatic reality of my existence.  My addiction eventually led me to the streets, where I was homeless for years and without any hope of recovery.  The biggest miracle of my life is that I survived it all, and the second biggest miracle of my life is that I found recovery.   One of the most formative moments of my early recovery was reconnecting with backpacking, which is something my addiction took away from me for many years.  Getting back on a trail and realizing I could still do it gave me so much hope and confidence in myself to keep going and to remember why I was trying to recover in the first place. Reading Nate's story resonated so deeply within me, for I too am deeply familiar with the feeling he described of connecting to recovery on the trail.  I am so grateful that this foundation exists to connect other addicts seeking recovery with that same joy and wonder that Nate felt, for I feel it, too.	Finding recovery in my mid-30s, and suddenly contemplating a life in which I might survive into middle age and beyond, meant that I had to scramble and grind without stopping to catch up on the lost time and lost financial future that most of my peers had secured.  I started out unhoused, physically and psychologically dependent on multiple substances, hustling for money to get by through very traumatizing means, and with no job or education history to speak of.  I was also very physically ill with a history of heart infections from IV drug use, a pulmonary embolism due to drug use, and many, many overdoses.   I am closing in on a decade of recovery, living a life I never expected to have.  I worked so hard to make up for some of that lost time in my life, and am so proud of how far I've come.  I have relationships with my family, I have a husband and a home (I got married this year, at 41 years old to the man of dreams who supports me in my recovery every step of the way), I have built a career I'm proud of and good at, I have a university degree, and I have been able to hike every year.  I have been tireless and relentless in my pursuit of a life worth living, and am grateful beyond measure for where I am.  However, after all of this building up, I am finally tired.  I feel burned out, and am unsure of where to go next with my professional life. To start with nothing and to work as hard as I could to build something, and then be standing on the precipice of the unknown again is very daunting.  I don't want to jump into something else out of fear or out of my lingering scarcity mindset that is so ingrained from being on the streets.  That doesn't feel productive in the way that I need now.  Now, I am seeking a break from the grind of building this wonderful life, to truly contemplate what my next chapter could look like.  I am yearning for this chunk of time away, to continue building my spiritual life and my relationship with myself.  I want to hike the AT for the 16-year old version of me who never got to realize her dreams, and heal that part of me. I have touched on the barriers that kept me from the AT and from the woods entirely already, but there are also barriers to hiking next year.  Part of this wonderful life I've built includes building an actual home base here in my town.  When I first envisioned a thru-hike, I planned to lean into my transient beginnings and just give up my apartment when I left for the trail.  However, life took another magical turn this year when I moved into an actual home for the first time in my life.  Suddenly, thru-hiking the AT now also includes the cost of carrying the entirety of my bills back home while I'm away - mortgage payment, utilities, insurance, etc.  This more than doubles what my initial cost plan was for the hike, which of course is resulting in significant anxiety and second thoughts of whether now is truly the right time to thru-hike.  This financial anxiety is amplified by my trauma history of losing my housing and ending up homeless, and then further compounded by the fact that the job I excel at in the sector I am passionate about, won't even exist when I return home. This hike will not even be possible if I do not somehow secure the extra funds required to secure the duration of my hike as well as the uncertainty of the month or two after the hike (if I successfully complete it) while I once again face building a professional life from the bottom up.	I find inspiration primarily from other recovering addicts.  Watching other people come alive in their recovery is the most amazing and awe-inspiring phenomenon I've ever had the privilege to witness.  We comes from being these hollowed out husks of ourselves with no faith in ourselves, no trust, no self-esteem, and grow into full people with rich lives and full humanity.   It is truly miraculous be part of. In addition to this, my other main inspiration and source of strength is the woods.  Any time I feel overwhelmed by life, or like I'm standing on shaky ground, the woods are there to remind me of the magnitude of awe in this world.  Feeling part of nature is when I feel most connected to God in my life.  In early recovery, I dubbed my hikes my "God Walks", because I spend the majority of my time out there talking out loud to the God of my understanding.  Healing my stuff.  Connecting.  I hike mostly alone, and the highlight of every year is doing my week-long hike in an area that is new to me.  It is my greatest and most precious recovery tradition, doing this hike and remembering how it felt to go out that first time in recovery and realize I could do it.	At the end of my hike, I hope to finally heal that last broken dream of my 16-year old self that addiction took from me.  In my recovery, I have worked so hard to cross off my young self's dreams one by one, no matter how hard it was or how long it took. Giving her this thru-hike is the last loving gift I can return to her, and would mark a momentous turning point in my healing journey.   I can't reach back through time and hug my past self, or tell her it's all going to be okay, but I can reach for her dreams now, and live for my present and future self.  I don't speak of this part of my thru-hike dream much as it is so deeply person, but this is what lies at the true heart of my dream.  Even writing this is making me cry, so I will end this section here.	I just want to say again how beautiful this scholarship program is, and I hope that the recipient(s) find everything they are looking for out there.  We deserve to live free, and for any addict who is seeking recovery, I want them to know that hope is alive.  Where there is life, there is hope.  And the woods are so full of both life and hope.	Email	Social Media		Review In Progress	False	False	False	False	False	https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1AzChUfG2OUf-ixKcviAa42HHH7iAUoLF	I am female, born in 1983, and have been in recovery since February 14, 2016.  I have been working in the harm reduction sector for seven years now and am an advocate and activist for people who use drugs to have access to life-saving and life-preserving services in my community.  I am also a member and sponsor in my local twelve-step fellowship, and consider spiritual health and service to others essential parts of my ongoing recovery.   My current work in harm reduction is coming to an end in the spring of 2025 due to the changing political priorities in Canada, which are resulting in the de-funding of services like my program.  This is heartbreaking for me both professionally and personally, as I have seen the value of harm reduction in my own life as well as in the lives of the people I serve.  I fully believe that where there is life, there is hope, and harm reduction at its core preserves life.   However, with the end of my job comes a unique opportunity: For the first time in my whole recovery, I will be both out of work and school (I graduated from university this past summer, a 7-year part-time process that was also a recovery dream of mine), and am faced with the dilemma with what's next for me.  For all of these years in recovery, I have been working so hard to achieve the dreams that drugs stole from me, and there is one giant dream left on the shelf from before addiction took over my life:  to thru-hike the AT.   Hiking and backpacking are a huge part of my history, and a huge part of my recovery now.  I have decided to go after this dream by doing a flip-flop thru-hike next year, after finishing out my academic and professional work with as much integrity and heart as I can. *** Please note that the drop-down menus above did not always include Canadian options, and so the correct information for my province and postal code are Ontario, K9H 1J5.	December 27 2024
01JGJ00CGTFT9GDR6HWK76G09Y	2025-01-01T22:33:00.186000+00:00	2025-01-01T22:33:14.344166+00:00	Alyson	McAtee	mcateea@outlook.com	735 N Atlantic Ave	Pittsburgh	PA - Pennsylvania	15224.0	United States	+14106224727	I was drawn to this scholarship in particular scholarship because despite what I’ve been through in life that many I’m still standing, still moving forward, and doing the best I can. After serving my community and supporting my family, I want to show up for myself and refill my cup. That’s why I’m hiking the AT this year: it’s a gift to myself.	6 years ago, my dad was diagnosed with dementia. Initially, I was his primary caregiver for 6 months until I decided to move to Baltimore. In Baltimore, I built a beautiful life that I loved. One that was very different from how I grew up. I thought I’d never return home. Then my dad's condition worsened and my mom needed help, so after 3 years in Maryland, I returned to Pittsburgh. For the last three years, my mom and I have shared caregiver responsibilities and worked on our relationship by addressing past hurts. Moving back to Pittsburgh allowed me to be close to my dad, but was also an opportunity to face all of the things I ran away from. I had to make peace with my childhood marked by sexual abuse, family substance abuse, and moving literally every year. The past few years have a season of reckoning with my path and as I walk the AT, I want to cultivate my future. I want to show up for me like I show up for others in my life.	When I’m faced with challenges, I look to my source and my inner guidance. I find solace and grounding in my life’s mantra: that things are always working out for me. I do whatever I can to soothe myself with positive words and a shifted perspective. Once I find the feeling of relief, I’m often rewarded with clear guidance for a path forward. My courage often shows up when I need it most. After moving back to Pittsburgh I quit a great job at a global tech giant to grow food and do community outreach at my community farm. It was the greatest career I’ve made and bright me so much joy.	I not much one for wishing but at the end of my hike, I hope to feel a sense of accomplishment for having showed up for myself day after day. I hope to see the value in making myself, my safety, my happiness, and wellbeing my number one priority. I hope to feel more at home in my body and to know that I can do hard things.	I only just heard of this opportunity today, but it’s truly an incredible thing that you all have put together in Nate’s honor and I’m sure he would be proud. Thank you for your consideration and for encouraging and supporting people in their resolve to keep going.	Text	Other	Search engine	Submitted	False	False	False	False	False	https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1JS7Lbyhx5ZNcLwqDptexdfl16uX7VF2v	I’m 28 year old Black woman from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I am a community organizer and an advocate for food and environmental justice as well as national parks. I’m an adventurer at heart and have always marched to the beat of my own drum. I love meeting people of all walks of life and I have a gift for learning languages and connecting with nearly anyone.	January 01 2025