I joined Rotary by becoming a member of the Rotary Club of Kent, WA in 2011. As someone new to the area and his profession, I was looking to grow my circle of friends, colleagues, and potential business partners. I was selfishly drawn to Rotary. What convinced me to stay was the selflessness of the club and the organization itself.

I was moved by their dedication to eradicating Polio, commitment to improving literacy, maternal/child health, peace, disease/prevention treatment, water and sanitation, as well as economic and community development. Through Rotary, I found a vehicle to make a direct impact on my community and beyond. For someone possessing a servant’s heart, I can’t think of a better avenue to fill my spirit.

As many of you know, I moved away from Kent and Seattle in 2017 to Los Angeles. Given my love and affection for all Rotary stands for, I knew I had to find a club in LA to join; somewhere I could make friends and get involved in my community. Through Facebook, I stumbled across the Downtown Los Angeles Rotary Club. Within months of my first visit, I was a member and then a new idea was born for me; hiking the Pacific Crest Trail.

Los Angeles was never meant to be permanent for Brandon and me. The idea was always to get what we needed from LA, get involved where we could, and then head back to Seattle. For me, this gave birth to a new opportunity; an opportunity that had been on my mind for a while. Thanks to a wonderful job that pays me fairly and some careful financial planning I was presented with the opportunity to fulfill a dream to hike the full length of the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada through California, Oregon, and Washington. The entire trip covers 2,650 miles and will take 5-6 months.

Of course, being a Rotarian, this journey cannot solely be about my longing to break free and hike. In my mind, moments such as these should be used for good. Early on in my planning, I decided I would dedicate my journey to the eradication of Polio. My goal is to raise $1 for every mile hiked for the Rotary Foundation earmarked for wiping this terrible disease off the face of the planet once and for all. Utilizing GoFundMe, I have an overall goal of $5,000. Any money raised above $2,650 will be put toward the hike.

If you would like to support my efforts, please click the link below.

In Rotary, we often say we are “this” close to ending Polio. As of today, we are down to only 18 cases in two countries. We have never been closer to beating this and I want to do my part. In the spirit of Rotary, I am asking you to help me achieve this goal.

Yours in Service,

-Nathan

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