Crooner Jimmy Wayne Walks For Homeless Teens

by Josie Raymond · 2010-01-12 19:31:00 UTC
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Country singer Jimmy Wayne's boots were certainly made for walking -- to raise awareness about homeless youth. On January 1, Wayne set out for the 1,660-mile solo journey from Nashville to Phoenix he's calling the "Meet Me Halfway" campaign. Walking about 25 miles a day, with just a 50-lb. backpack including a tent and a sleeping bag, he expects to wind up in Phoenix in about two months. The 37-year-old North Carolina-native was homeless as a teenager before a couple in their 70s gave him a home.

"This country shouldn't have a homeless problem," Wayne told the Jackson Sun in Tennessee. "I encourage people to find facilities that help these kids out, because they don't have anywhere to go." Wayne isn't collecting donations, just raising awareness for the cause and some organizations he supports. He started walking from Monroe Harding, an organization for homeless youth in Nashville and he'll finish at HomeBase Youth Services in Phoenix.

Last year Wayne was on tour with country star Brad Paisley; this year he decided to give something back. "I was at home standing in my housecoat, making coffee, when the idea came to me. 'I'll just walk across the United States to raise awareness for teens who age out of the system and become homeless.' I was one of those teens, but a real good family took me in. Helping homeless teens is where my heart has always been."

He has relied on the kindness of strangers on the road -- people bringing him coffee from their diners, letting him charge his cell phone in their cars and offering a spare room for the night, something he said reminds him of "being 14."

Follow along on the "Meet Me Halfway" site and Jimmy Wayne's Twitter account.

Photo credit: TweetPhoto

Josie Raymond is a Change.org editor who has reported from the streets of the South Bronx, written for several magazines that folded (not her fault) and fixed thousands of typos.
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