PILGRIMAGE OF A PROMISE
How Far Would You Go To Keep Your Word..?
Rick Hagans' Walk Across America
Thirty-one years ago Rick Hagans' Christmas was down in the dumps. He wasn't 'feeling down,' he was literally down in a dump. Rick and some friends had gone down to the impoverished border region along the Rio Grande to give some Christmas gifts to the children there. On their last day in Mexico, they had followed vultures to a garbage dump, to a sight that seemed more of Dante's Inferno than the world we live in. There, in a smoldering pit of garbage, were people picking through the trash for a bit to sell or a bite to eat. Rick and his friends went down into the pit to meet the people laboring there amidst the smoke and smoulder. They found out that those working through the rubbish actually
lived right there in the dump. To the eye, it was hard to tell what was trash or humanity. But the heart always sees with more clarity than the eye, and Rick's heart was immediately drawn to the rubbish pickers he met there, especially the ragamuffin children smiling up at him through the smoke. A scene like that shakes you. Rick's team gave out gifts to
their newfound friends. It was their last day in Mexico and all they had left to give to the people were a few pairs of shoes, some toys for the children, and their hearts. One little boy, no more than 5 or 6 years old came up to Rick with a hand full of toys. He pulled on Rick's sleeve to get his attention and asked if he could swap his toys for a pair of shoes. The little fella stood barefoot and bleeding in a field of broken shards of glass and rusty strips of metal. But there were no shoes left to give him. So Rick remembers,
"I gave him the only thing I had left to give...I gave him my word that I'd come back, and I'd bring him some shoes."
This is where 'Rick's Walk' comes in. Back home in Alabama he asked a church he was preaching for if they would help him get shoes for that garbage dump colony he'd come across on the border. Their response, Rick remembers, was less than enthusiastic. Then a strange thing happened according to Rick. He got this weird idea, which is nothing new if you know Rick Hagans, to walk across his home state of Alabama and try and raise shoes for each mile he would walk. He shared his idea instantaneously with the group he was preaching to. This time, their response was much more enthusiastic. While he had his crowd's attention, Rick upped the ante for shoes by asking them if they would help him raise Ten-Pair Per Mile if he would walk barefoot like his little
friend he'd found down in the dumps on the border. When the crowd cheered, 'Yes!' Rick's walk really began.
Rick first walked across Alabama from East to West in 1994, and he did it for the most part barefoot. He burned his feet up so badly on that hot Alabama asphalt that he later had to start wearing shoes. Alabama is 340 miles from east to west. Rick's goal of raising ten pairs of shoes for each mile he walked was surpassed by fifty thousand pairs of shoes that first year. And yes, he made it back to the dump, found his little friend, and put a new pair of shoes on his feet. Rick still has the excuse for shoes the little boy traded him for a new pair on his bookshelf at home. Thanks to all those shoes people donated, Rick's team could put shoes on everyone's feet there in that little dump. They were later able to buy another local dump in that city and build an orphanage there. (If you'd ever like to see it you can come down to Mexico with us. We'd love to have you.) Since that first walk, Rick has continued walking across a different state each year, along with walking across Alabama from north to south which was his second annual walk. Sometimes, he'll walk more than one state when they are small enough. As of 2024, he
has walked across 40 states, covering over 17,000 miles, and raised over one million pairs of shoes! He walked across
Nevada in 2018, his first one on a new knee. He walked across Wisconsin in 2019. His goal is to keep walking and keep raising shoes. Our research shows that Rick would be the first person ever to walk across each of the 50 United States of America. You can keep up with his journeys by following us on social media. His walks usually take place in the fall and we do what we can to keep everyone up-to-date on where he is on his walks. He'd love for you to join him for a few miles, a meal, or a service at your church or organization. He would also appreciate your help with his ongoing effort at raising shoes for those who need them. You could do that by donating shoes, donating money, joining him on the walk, or going down to Mexico to give the shoes out.