PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) – Things got loud in Panama City Beach as the boys of one Troy University fraternity rolled in. This signals the completion of a 128.3 mile walk to raise money for wounded veterans.
34 boys of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity just completed the Walk Hard fundraiser. It was a six day journey, with the starting point at Troy University and ending at Pier Park in Panama City Beach. On Wednesday, they completed it.
For sophomore Eli Wahley, the first day was the hardest. By day six, he said they experienced all four seasons during their journey.
“One of those days it snowed on us. Day three we came into Florida. Day four was my worst day, it was mentally exhausting. It wasn’t even that bad physically, but mentally when you just see black road for miles and miles and miles, it’s bad,” said Whaley.
The Walk Hard fundraiser was to raise money for Jeep Sullivan’s Wounded Warrior Outdoor Adventures. For senior Justin Thomas, he said that’s the reason he’s completed the walk all four years of college.
“Just seeing the impact that Jeep Sullivan’s organization is able to have for the life of veterans, just hearing and seeing that first hand is really awesome. Just to be a small part of that is an overwhelming privilege for me,” said Thomas.
Last year, the walk hard fundraiser raised a record-breaking $90,000 for wounded veterans. This year, they raised $125,000.
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