100 Miles for Hope journey begins

Hope Harbor director trekking from Sioux Falls to Marshall on foot

MARSHALL -- A journey of 100 miles is now underway for Hope Harbor Executive Director Chad Doyle.

On Thursday, Doyle and his friend Siscko Garcia started walking from Sioux Falls to Marshall. The trek is meant to raise awareness and donations for the nonprofit, which serves teens in South Dakota and Minnesota.

In a Facebook post, Hope Harbor spokespeople said Doyle traveled the first 15.5 miles of the trip by about noon Thursday.

"The support keeps rolling in. I think we're currently at $18,000 raised," Doyle said in a video update during a Thursday morning break. In the video, Doyle thanked supporters for their prayers and donations, and for spreading the word about Hope Harbor.

Hope Harbor is a nonprofit operating as a Christian ministry and serving teens going through issues like mental health struggles, difficult home lives, or unhealthy behaviors. Hope Harbor has two locations, one for teen boys in Parker, South Dakota, and one for girls in Marshall.

In early August, Doyle felt called to a unique way to raise awareness for Hope Harbor, said Marshall site director Melissa Bruns. He would travel the roughly 100 miles from his home in Sioux Falls to Marshall, on foot.

"It's about stepping out in obedience" to God," she said of Doyle's journey. The trip is also an inspirational one for the teens and families served by Hope Harbor. Healing isn't easy, Bruns said. However, "This is a demonstration that even though it's hard, it doesn't have to be impossible," she said.

Bruns said it's taken a lot of planning and preparation as Doyle got ready for the walk. Doyle and Garcia started out on foot Thursday morning. They've been posting Facebook updates along the way, and plan to sleep in hammocks at night. Bruns said supporters are also checking in with Doyle along the route from Sioux Falls to Marshall.

It's been humbling to see the public response as the 100 Miles for Hope event gets underway, Bruns said.

"It's a little surreal," Bruns said Thursday. "It's been so cool to see the awareness grow."

Depending on how the walk goes and factors like the weather, Doyle should reach Marshall sometime this weekend, Bruns said. Hope Harbor founder Claudia Stenson and other supporters plan to walk the final mile of the journey with Doyle, she said.

More information about 100 Miles for Hope is available on the Hope Harbor website, www.hopeharbormn.org, or on Hope Harbor's Facebook page. Doyle is posting video updates on his walk to Facebook.