Why Did Hundreds of People Walk Onto the Marist Campus?

A massive group of people organized a walk that took them under the bridge on Route 9 onto the Marist College campus.

On Saturday morning just after 10am, hundreds of people gathered at the Steel Plant Studios across from Marist's main campus in Poughkeepsie, New York. The gathering was a cross-section of the community, ranging in age, race and wealth with one unified goal.

Anthony's Walk at Marist College

The gathering of people were participants in the third annual Anthony's Walk. The is named in honor of a United States Marine Corps veteran who was tragically murdered in 2020 outside Liberty Station, the veteran shelter in Poughkeepsie. For the past three years, community members have walked together to raise awareness for veterans and the challenges they face.

This year, organizers used the walk as an opportunity to raise money to help build a ramp at Liberty Station. T-shirt sales and other donations will all go to Hudson River Housing so they can help make the shelter ADA-compliant.

"Commander Tom" Zurhellen, who famously walked across the country to raise awareness for veterans' issues in 2019, greeted the crowd on Saturday morning before the walk. The course was designed so that the group would walk throughout the Marist Campus for 22 minutes, representing the number of veteran suicides that occur every day in America.

Zurhellen announced that the theme of this year's walk was "Building Community". Other speakers included Army veteran Alyssa Carrion of MHA Dutchess Veterans Programs, Army veteran Bryan Foley of IBM Poughkeepsie, and Dr. Edward Antonio of Marist College.

According to Zurhellen, attendance at the walk tripled from last year.