Linder was the first person to run across America wearing a 15-pound weighted vest to raise awareness of human trafficking.
PA, USA — Pennsylvania native Andrew Linder is accomplishing the impossible. He is traveling more than 3,000 miles across the United States wearing a 15-pound weight vest to raise awareness about human trafficking.
“To raise money for charity, we needed to do something that would appeal to a lot of people, so we decided to spread it across America,” Linder said. “So the decision was made to run in a 15-pound weight vest and do something no one had ever done before.”
Linder's journey began in California and will end in New York. He is running for Sister Rising Worldwide, a nonprofit organization that fights human trafficking.
“I wanted to go after the worst people on the planet, so I identified them as sex and human traffickers who exploit a wide variety of people,” Linder said. “I wanted to raise money for charity and it was really easy.”
One of Linder's stops will be through central Pennsylvania, where his good friend and Dallastown head football coach Levi Murphy will be supporting him on his journey.
“When I found out what he was doing, it made me smile so much,” Murphy said. “It's great to share that with the students in class, share it with the players, and see their success. And of course, when your best friend does something great, you're there to cheer him on. I think that I want to do it.”
The two played football together at East Stroudsburg University. Linder plans to finish the race on May 18th and has raised about $80,000 so far.
“I can't wait to celebrate what we've done for charity,” Linder said. “It would mean the world to me.
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