Let Me Introduce Myself
My name is Roy Row. I live just outside of Knoxville, TN and close to the Great Smoky Mountains. This summer, 2013, I will be hiking the Appalachian Trail. It's a dream that I have had for many years, but also a hike with a purpose. I have a deep passion for disabled and special needs people in our society, and will link the hike of my dreams with a chance to promote and encourage families and organizations in their support of the disabled community.
My name is Roy Row. I live just outside of Knoxville, TN and close to the Great Smoky Mountains. This summer, 2013, I will be hiking the Appalachian Trail. It's a dream that I have had for many years, but also a hike with a purpose. I have a deep passion for disabled and special needs people in our society, and will link the hike of my dreams with a chance to promote and encourage families and organizations in their support of the disabled community.
The Story Behind My Hike
I woke up one September morning last year (2012) with a clear message in my head. The message I heard was simple, and it came to me with no explainable stimulus. "You can hike the Appalachian Trail now," was all the voice said. I laid in bed, staring up at the ceiling and wondering where in the world that idea came from!
[The Appalachian Trail runs 2186 miles from Springer Mtn., Georgia along the tops of the mountain ridges all the way to Mt. Katahdin, Maine. Several thousand people attempt the hike each year, several hundred finish it.]
I have been a Pastor for over 34 years. Last year I resigned my church, and I continue to be unsettled from the event. I am currently preaching at a small, loving weekend church nearby, but I face some difficult choices if I'm going to continue to live and maintain my home and family.
My only real joy has come from my work in the community with Civitan, a service organization that works with the disabled and special-needs members of the community. I also have been serving on the Board of Directors for the Christian Church Disability Ministry, or CCDM. This is a mission organization that seeks to support families and individuals across the country and around the world who deal with special needs people and family members.
CCDM is in the process of launching several new avenues of care for the disability community. One is to provide extensive training and support for churches and groups who desire to reach out and serve the families in their own locations. The other is the development of an online support community to serve families all across the county.
Suddenly it all came together. I would hike the Appalachian Trail in an effort to raise the level of awareness concerning the extreme needs that exist in our society concerning the disabled. The hike could also help to raise some of the start-up funds needed to launch this important project in the fall of 2013.
And so... Blazing New Trails for the Disabled was born.
I woke up one September morning last year (2012) with a clear message in my head. The message I heard was simple, and it came to me with no explainable stimulus. "You can hike the Appalachian Trail now," was all the voice said. I laid in bed, staring up at the ceiling and wondering where in the world that idea came from!
[The Appalachian Trail runs 2186 miles from Springer Mtn., Georgia along the tops of the mountain ridges all the way to Mt. Katahdin, Maine. Several thousand people attempt the hike each year, several hundred finish it.]
I have been a Pastor for over 34 years. Last year I resigned my church, and I continue to be unsettled from the event. I am currently preaching at a small, loving weekend church nearby, but I face some difficult choices if I'm going to continue to live and maintain my home and family.
My only real joy has come from my work in the community with Civitan, a service organization that works with the disabled and special-needs members of the community. I also have been serving on the Board of Directors for the Christian Church Disability Ministry, or CCDM. This is a mission organization that seeks to support families and individuals across the country and around the world who deal with special needs people and family members.
CCDM is in the process of launching several new avenues of care for the disability community. One is to provide extensive training and support for churches and groups who desire to reach out and serve the families in their own locations. The other is the development of an online support community to serve families all across the county.
Suddenly it all came together. I would hike the Appalachian Trail in an effort to raise the level of awareness concerning the extreme needs that exist in our society concerning the disabled. The hike could also help to raise some of the start-up funds needed to launch this important project in the fall of 2013.
And so... Blazing New Trails for the Disabled was born.