Jimmy Wayne left Nashville on New Year’s Day and began his walk to Phoenix, AZ to raise awareness about homelessness. Around 100 people gathered on the front lawn of the Monroe Harding foster care center that day to see Wayne off, and nearly 75 of those joined him on the first mile of his journey. A $50,000 donation from Wayne’s label home, The Valory Music Co., jumped started his Meet Me Halfway campaign, which is so named because he is walking halfway across the country.
During the walk, Wayne is sleeping in a tent and sleeping bag on the ground. The singer’s camp admits that single digit temperatures have made travel more challenging than anticipated. “But that’s what the homeless are dealing with each and every winter they go without a home of their own,” explains Wayne, who grew up in foster and group homes, and was occasionally homeless as a teen. Eventually an older couple took him in and gave him a second chance.
Wayne is particularly passionate about homeless youth and young adults, so money raised through his walk will go to organizations that work with the young homeless; Phoenix based HomeBase Youth Services and Nashville’s Monroe Harding.
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Sarah Skates has worked in the music business for more than a decade and is a longtime contributor to MusicRow.View Author Profile
