A Sonoma man and his dog passed through Gilroy Thursday as part
of a 500-mile trek to raise money for children in New Orleans whose
homes and schools were destroyed by hurricanes.
Gilroy – A Sonoma man and his dog passed through Gilroy Thursday as part of a 500-mile trek to raise money for children in New Orleans whose homes and schools were destroyed by hurricanes.
David Cohen and his black Labrador, Molly, are walking from San Francisco to Santa Ana, where they plan to arrive Oct. 9. The pair set out from San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park Monday and arrived in Gilroy Thursday morning.
“I had been walking with my dog to get in shape,” Cohen said. “She had hip dysplasia as a puppy and she needed to be exercised.”
Dressed in black sweats, sneakers and a faded orange ball cap, Cohen carried a backpack that had a sign with ways to donate to his cause.
He said he started setting goals for their training, which included 10- to 20-mile walks each day, and he figured he might as well walk to raise money for charity. After the tsunami hit in the east, he heard stories about money that wasn’t getting to all the places and people that needed it.
Cohen contacted the Kids of Hope, a Southern California non-profit organization that is rebuilding a Sri Lankan orphanage destroyed in the tsunami last year. Working with Deeptha Leelarathna, he started planning is walk for charity.
But in the middle of his planning, Hurricane Katrina hit and the organizers decided that 75 percent of the money collected would go to young victims of the hurricane.
Leading up to the walk, Cohen worked closely with “The Map Store,” in Windsor, to plan out his route.
“To here it was easy. We just took [Highway] 82. ” Cohen said. “From here on out we have to play it by ear.”
The marathon walker is traveling with his dog Molly, Leelarathna and Ben Morgan. Morgan, a technician for Volvo who is out on disability, volunteered to use his truck to tow a trailer that the trio use to cook, sleep and rest in along the journey.
“I wasn’t able to work and I am not the type to sit around,” Morgan said. “I thought it was something I could help out with.”
Morgan connected with Cohen through Craigslist.org, an online bulletin board. On the next leg of the trip, Morgan will scout out ahead in the truck to make sure Cohen and Molly have save roads to walk along.
Four days into his walk, Cohen said he had a blister starting on the ball of his foot and he could feel it spreading to his arches. But he planned to keep going, walking 30 to 40 miles a day with Molly at his side. He did, however, give the 6-year-old dog a break Thursday morning because he thought the pads of her feet might be sore.
“I’m being cautious with her because she can’t talk and tell me if something is wrong,” Cohen said.
Cohen headed out of town along Monterey Road at 11am, continuing south towards Salinas.
“My wife was concerned, but excited,” Cohen said. “She said, ‘Just get done and get back.’ ”
But Cohen hopes to surprise some other family when he finally makes it to Los Angeles.
“My parents live down there and they don’t know what I am doing,” he said. “I’m going to knock on their door and say ‘Molly and I were out for a walk and got lost.'”
To donate to Kids of Hope, call 1-866-462-2838 or visit www.kidsofhope.org. For questions, call 1-800-634-5490.
