After completing the 128.3-mile trek in support of wounded veterans, 35 brothers of Troy University’s Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity capped off the sixth day by running into the waves at Panama City Beach, Fla., raising a record-breaking $140,000 along the way for their cause.
The fraternity’s annual Spring Break philanthropy event, Walk Hard, was started by four ATO brothers in 2009 and helps to raise funds for Jeep Sullivan’s Wounded Warrior Outdoor Adventures, based in Bonifay, Fla.
On the Friday before Spring Break, the group begins the journey to Pier Park in Panama City Beach from TROY’s Quad. Along their “March to the Sea,” they pass through Troy, Enterprise, Hartford, Bonifay, Vernon, Ebro and eventually PCB.
At their nightly rest stops, they heard inspirational messages and words of encouragement from veterans like Retired Air Force Office of Special Investigations Staff Sergeant Mark McDuffie, who was injured in March 2007 in Iraq.
“I was part of a weapons intelligence team. We responded to an IED in the middle of an intersection, and the bomb detonated on top of us, killing two guys and severely wounding me,” he said. “I went from a 27-year-old young man that was on the top of his game… to laying in a hospital bed.”
McDuffie participates in the hunts Wounded Warrior Outdoor Adventures sponsors and said, like his experience coming out of the hospital, these excursions have allowed him to see the bigger picture in life.
“I’ve been able to see how God has been able to take something and really make it grow,” he said. “On behalf of all the veterans that Jeep and Meg come in contact with, I just want to say thank you all. Keep up the good work and rock this thing on out.”
Of the 35 brothers completing the journey, 14 walked for the first time, 19 returned for their second or third trip and two have walked all four years.
Logan Cairnes, a senior business major from Birmingham, Alabama who is one of the four-year walkers, said he’s grateful to have been a part of the legacy ATO is building.
“This last year has meant a lot to me, but all four years have meant a lot. There’s a lot of excitement and adrenaline,” he said. “This is the most money we’ve ever raised, and in the chapter’s history, and it’s a great feeling to get to do that here with all of my brothers. This is a great organization and I greatly believe in what they do, and I hope it continues to grow. Thank you everyone for the support.”
Jacob Stephens, a freshman political science major from Douglasville, Georgia, was one of the 14 brothers walking for the first time and said he did it for the veterans.
“Coming into this, I wasn’t 100 percent sure what my purpose was, but hearing the veterans talk every night really showed me that this is for the veterans, this does good for them and they deserve it,” he said. “It was harder than I expected it to be because so many guys do it, they finish it and they come back again the next year, but I definitely had some eye-opening moments.”
Stephens said his favorite day of the walk was Day Four, but that the ending was “pure joy.”
“Days two and three were pretty rough, so I did not have high hopes for Day Four, but it was a great day of just hanging out and getting through the day,” he said. “Now that I’m here on the beach I’m just feeling pure joy—getting to be here with my brothers, my family, my friends, and getting to share this with them is pure joy.”
Since inception, Walk Hard has raised nearly $800,000 for the non-profit mission. Online donations are made prior to the event, along with corporate sponsors and contributions, but the grand total is revealed only at the completion of the walk
A gallery of images from the week can be found here.
Related:
- Troy Hometown Tour: 2025 Alpha Tau Omega Walk Hard (WSFA 12)
- Troy University fraternity raises record amount of money during Walk Hard philanthropy event (WSFA 12)
- Troy University fraternity’s 128-mile walk aids Veterans fund (WMBB)
- Members of a Troy University fraternity walk 128.3 miles for a good cause (WJHG 7)
- Watch: Troy University’s Alpha Tau Omega fraternity’s ‘March to the Sea’ (Dothan Eagle)
