The "Walk With Joe" - a 9/11 Memorial in NJ

[chris_in_nj]

Good evening fellow Freepers,

I just want to send out this FYI as many of you have been amazingly kind in your thoughts and prayers after hearing the news about my father on Flight 93.

For those of you who don't know the background of the "Walk With Joe" - here you go....

On 9/11 my father, Joe Driscoll – an avid walker/hiker, was on his way to Yosemite National Park to go on an annual hiking trip with some friends. The flight he was on, United #93, never made it to California . It was hijacked and crashed in Shanksville , PA when the passengers decided to try and take back the plane. As some call it…this was the “Let’s Roll” flight. Bad times, no doubt.

My father was one of the original members of the Yorktowne Club in Manalapan, NJ – a benevolent organization that gives back to the Manalapan community in many ways. The folks from the YC decided to put on the Walk With Joe for a number of reasons. Among them is that we NEVER FORGET that day! Another is to raise money for local charities that could use the help….such as:

· Samaritan Center in Englishtown – a food bank which helps feed the hungry from in the community we all grew up in · Christopher S. Gray Memorial Scholarship at the University of West Virginia . · Manalapan Little League · Child Advocacy Center, Freehold · Flight 93 Memorial in Shanksville · Open Door Food Bank, Freehold · 9/11 Memorial on Mount Mitchell, Atlantic Highlands – for all those killed that were from Monmouth County

There are a few others as well….please see the website for more details if you’d like. www.walkwithjoe.com

So far the walk has raised approximately $175,000 for these charities – just awesome.

Every year there are about 600-700 walkers that come out to support the event and show they will NEVER FORGET! The Walk With Joe Team is really trying to ramp things up this year and has a goal to reach 1,000 walkers so that is why I am extending this out to everyone.

Please know that I debated sending this message as I didn’t want to come across as overbearing to everyone – but my wife Erica put it in perspective by saying “while the walk’s proceeds are in honor of your Dad, it is not for your Dad or the family….it’s FOR the charities”. So that made me decide to reach out to everyone….to help the community, to feed the hungry, to help remember my friend Chris Gray, to build monuments and to help others in need.

If you would like to join us the WALK WITH JOE begins at 10am on September 12th at Monmouth Battlefield State Park (on Route 33 near Wemrock Orchards)in Manalapan.

Registration begins at 9am or so( or do so ahead of time as registration forms can be downloaded from the website) and there are usually bagels, coffee, water bottles, etc that are served. So if you’d like to come on out, enjoy a walk in the park and help the charities named on the website we’d love to see you. Please feel free to pass this on to anyone whom you think would be interested….kids and dogs are all welcome, too!

Here is an article for the Asbury Park Press from last week: http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009908170337

Here’s to a goal of 1,000 walkers, hoping to NEVER FORGET, and hoping to keep walking for the charities who need our donations…especially the food banks in these economic times.

Thanks everyone!!!

Never Forget,

Chris

[Paved Paradise]

One of our friends was the air traffic controller communicating with individuals on that flight. It changed his life profoundly and, thankfully, made him take a different path in life that allowed him and his wife to be a blessing in a fantastic way.

May God truly bless you in your walk for your dad and “in your walk” in general.

Anyone on here that could think negatively about you asking would have to have some issues. I’m with Erica.

Peace.

[Carley]

Our family will never forget.

Thank you for sharing your father’s story.

Bless his memory.

[SoCalPol]

I remember your earlier posts.
You are doing wonderful work for charities in memory
of your father.
G_D bless you.

[silverleaf]

God Bless you and God Bless Joe! My hometown is very near the site of Flt 93’s passengers’ final heroic act of defiance against evil.

[chris_in_nj]

Thanks for the kind words folks. Tough time of year but this walk has helped heal some of the wounds.

Cheers,

Chris

[Mercat]

This is the first 9/11 that I haven’t gone to church so I was feeling a bit guilty. But throughout the day I have had things drift into my consciousness and then this evening we went to eat with some friends. We always go out to the same place with the same people on Friday night and sit at the same table but tonight it was crowded and we asked for the first available table and ended up at the front, looking out over Metcalf Avenue in Johnson County KS and then the motorcycles started going by, the ones from New Jersey, there must have been over a thousand and it felt like I was in church.

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

I think of your Dad often.

[jhw61]

Can’t do the walk Chris. God Bless your family today and God Bless your beloved Dad.