Forty-six Saint Anselm College students partook in the 21st Annual Road for Hope Walk. This 130-mile trek started at St. Peter and St. Paul Basilica in Lewiston on Saturday, August 17th and ended at Saint Anselm College in Goffstown, New Hampshire on Saturday, August 24th.
The Road for Hope Walk is a modern-day pilgrimage that, in the words of the mission statement, "seeks to provide funds for the needy, strengthens the bonds in our communities, and rekindles the belief that every footstep makes a difference."
York County Shelter Program in Alfred was among the area charities that benefited from funds raised by the Road for Hope. Other charities that benefited include:
Birth Line/Catholic Charities in Portland, Maine
Community Concepts in Lewiston, Maine
Good Shepherd Food Bank in Auburn, Maine
York County Shelter Program in Alfred, Maine
St. Charles Children’s Home in Rochester, NH
Rochester Recreational Arena and Youth services in Rochester, New Hampshire
Candia Moore School Drug Awareness Program in Candia, New Hampshire
Kid’s Café in Manchester, New Hampshire
Upreach Therapeutic Riding Center in Goffstown, New Hampshire
The walkers averaged 15 miles per day on this eight-day trek and made overnight stops at the end of each day. One of the stops was at St. Ignatius Gym on Riverside Avenue in Sanford. The Knights of Columbus St. Thomas Council treated the students to a spaghetti dinner with all the fixings in the Parish Hall below the gym. The students also had access to hot showers and overnight accommodations in the gym. After breakfast, the students made their way to their next stop in Rochester, New Hampshire.
The St. Anselm Road to Hope walkers begin to arrive
The walkers relax after a long day's walk...
...while Bob Black and Bill Sheehan toil in the kitchen. What dedication!
Oh, Rene Robichaud is helping too!
Frank Pease taking a breather. Frank, you look beat! GK Terry Sylvanus is right behind. O.K. Frank! Break's over! Is that our former State Deputy Mr. Roy to the left?
Okay! Come and git it!
Nothing like a hearty pasta dinner after a day's walk!