It's not uncommon for Ball State University students to travel during the summer. The difference for sophomore Ben Poor is that he made the 820-mile trip from New Palestine, Ind. to New Orleans entirely on foot.
His goal? "Walking for those who have been poor," reads the slogan on his Web site.
Ben Poor is raising money that will be donated to Emergency Communities, an organization helping the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
"I'm not a hero" Ben Poor says on his Web log. "I'm just a regular guy trying to help some people out and get into good shape in the process."
Upon arrival in New Orleans, Ben Poor delivered a check of about $10,000. He said he's been wanting to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina since a mission trip to Oklahoma in 2005 but the idea of walking didn't come to him until he spent a lot of time walking during a family vacation to Europe the next year.
"I feel like walking there. That gets more attention than just driving there," Ben Poor said.
Ben Poor's father, Mike Poor, said while the news of his son's plans came as a bit of a shock, he and his wife tried to stay positive and not worry.
"We always try to support our kids when they really believe in something, and he obviously believed in it," Mike Poor said.
While the parents still worry about his safety, Mike Poor said, "[We] decided it didn't help to worry about it so we just decided to get real involved instead."
Ben Poor's parents met up with him in Sellersburg, Ind. where they took him out to eat and got him a hotel room for the night.
His parents also got involved by calling ahead to other United Methodist Church members for places to sleep.
Ben Poor's parents aren't the only ones who joined him on the road. Childhood friend Matt Gillot walked with him from New Palestine to Louisville.
At first, Gilliot declined to walk with Ben Poor but after a 10-mile practice walk with Ben Poor, he changed his mind and surprised his friend the night before departure.
"I thought it was a long way to walk by himself," Gilliot said.
After seven days of traveling with Ben Poor, Gilliot said he got a blister and the "satisfaction of knowing [I] did something that was pretty hard."
Gilliot left Ben Poor's side in Louisville, where the most interesting part of the trip began, Ben Poor said.
While Ben Poor relied on the kindness of fellow church members and other friendly strangers, the media also helped him out, he said.
In Louisville, Ben Poor and Gilliot were interviewed by affiliates from NBC, Fox, and CBS news stations all in one day.
Bill Alexander, of CBS affiliate WLKY 32, even arranged for Ben Poor and Gilliot to stay on the private Camberly floor at The Brown Hotel.
"It was by far the nicest hotel room I've ever stayed in," Ben Poor said.
In Louisville, Ben Poor also met one of his cause's biggest contributors so far: Billy Fox, Jr., owner of J. Gumbo's 4th Street Live Cajun restaurant.
Fox donated $1,000, food for 800-1000 people and his time volunteering alongside Ben Poor in New Orleans.
Ben Poor also received a $250 gift card from Texas Roadhouse of Elizabethtown, Ky. to help keep him nourished along the way.
Ben Poor started his walk at about 7 a.m. each day and walked until the heat got too overwhelming or until about 2 p.m, taking two minute breaks every hour and a half. Ben Poor estimates his walking speed at about 4 miles per hour.
He carried a 25-30 pound bookbag filled with only the essentials, he said. Those essentials included three shirts, two pairs of shorts and several pairs of underwear and socks to avoid blisters.
He documented every step of his journey through his Web site and blogs at benswalk.com.
"I'm taking pictures quite a bit," he said. "I kinda feel like I'm a journalist on this trip."
Of his journey, Ben Poor wrote "It is unpredictable what events might happen along the journey, but that unpredictability is what excites me the most about this trek. I have never been more excited to do anything in my entire life."
Mike Poor said his son's realization that he is more privileged than some is one thing that fueled him over the course of his journey.
"He feels like he's had quite a bit that he's been able to enjoy over his life," Mike Poor said. "He realizes other people haven't had as much, and he feels like it's his time to give back a little bit."
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