Monday, November 26, 2012
Mon, 26 Nov 2012
On Friday, December 14, 2012, Ryan Adams and Mark Finelli, two second-year Liberty Law students, will walk 100-miles to show support for the Wounded Warrior Project. The 100-Mile Hump fundraiser started in January 2010 when four combat veterans, including Finelli, hiked 123 miles from Arizona State University to the University of Arizona raising $8,000 for the cause.
Following the success of the first 100 Mile Hump, Finelli and his warriors embarked on two additional 100 Mile Humps raising nearly $24,000. This December, they will hike from Lynchburg to Hampden-Sydney, VA. The walk will take approximately 9 days.
Finelli’s inspiration for the program came after the 9/11 attacks. “I remember the feeling of constantly feeling awful while I was studying for my MBA in Arizona. I had just survived 61 flights of the South Tower on 9/11 and later a 6 month infantry tour in Fallujah, Iraq, completely unscathed and without a scratch, and then in a moment the Lord spoke to my heart,” added Finelli. “I watched as a double-amputee Marine rolled past me in the latter part of 2009 and it was in that moment, the Lord called me to give something back. It was then that the 100-Mile Hump was born.”
Since it’s founding, the 100-Mile Hump has helped the Wounded Warrior Project buy many prosthetics and fulfill other needs of the nation’s veterans.
“It’s really an exciting effort when those currently in service and those that have retired, can come together to show support for those who have literally given of themselves to protect this great nation,” said co-founder Ryan Adams. Adams currently serves in the Army; Finelli serves in the Marine Corps.
This year’s 100-Mile Hike will begin mid-afternoon on campus at Liberty University.
“I would love for our graduates, the community, and the university to see that Liberty Law students are actively supporting our wounded veterans in word and deed,” concluded Adams.