Poughkeepsie Man Walking Across America This Summer

Tom Zurhellen is walking from Portland Oregon to Poughkeepsie to raise awareness of an important issue.

Zurhellen has decided to walk from Portland, Oregan to Poughkeepsie starting on April 15. The trek is expected to last until August and take him through small towns and big cities along the way.

As the commander at VFW Post 170 in Poughkeepsie, Zurhellen has seen first hand the struggles that many veterans face. Raising awareness for these issues is his main goal, but he also hopes to bring in donations to help out Dutchess County's only homeless shelter operated by Hudson River Housing.

Suicide rates and homelessness are on the rise for veterans, so Zurhellen feels that now is the perfect time to get the word out. He's created a group called Vet Zero that does outreach to veterans and works towards the goal of zero suicides and zero homelessness for veterans in Poughkeepsie. During each day of his journey, Zurhellen plans to walk 22 miles, representing the 22 veterans that take their own life every day in America.

The VFW commander will set out on his own with no support group or vehicles following him. He says that he's prepared for the elements and will get by visiting other VFW posts and relying on the kindness of strangers. Zurhellen is confident that he will be able to make the journey because, as a former member of the Navy, he's used to braving the elements. He says his only fear is running into a bear.

If you'd like to follow Zurhellen's journey, he will be keeping us posted on his trip all summer long on The Boris and Robyn Show. You can tune in live on the WPDH mobile app to hear all of Tom's stories from the road. You can also learn more about Vet Zero on Zurhellen's website and link through to his Twitter and Facebook pages to keep up with his journey.

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