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Valrico Boy Will Turn 10 On Charity Trek To Tallahassee

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By KEITH MORELLI | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 17, 2007

Updated: 10/17/2007 01:29 pm

Zach Bonner, 9, of Valrico, and his mother, Laurie, is planning a monthlong trek by foot from Tampa to Tallahassee to bring attention to the plight of homeless children who live on the streets in Florida and across the nation. Tampa Tribune file photo by Laura Frazier (July 5, 2007)

VALRICO - Zach Bonner is planning a special 10th birthday, but it won't be munching cake and ice cream and ripping into presents at some kids' pizza parlor or backyard pool.

He'll be on the road.

The good Samaritan from Valrico is planning a walk to Tallahassee. The trek will span 23 days, according to his arithmetic, and his birthday just so happens to fall within that time.

"I've got new Air Pegasuses," he said. They should make each step a little easier.

Zach is not embarking on this journey to make the 10th anniversary of his time on earth a memorable event, although it probably will. He's doing it for the 13 million children in the United States who are homeless. He's hoping to get people to walk with him to raise money for the Stand Up For Kids charity.

"I kind of based it on the Peace Pilgrim," he said. "She walked 25,000 miles to make peace, and so I thought I could walk 250 miles for the homeless."

Last year, he saw a documentary on the Peace Pilgrim, a woman who made the trek for peace, and drew inspiration from that.

"So, the real question is how can I not walk if it will make a difference even to just one of those kids," Zach says on his Web site, the home page for the Little Red Wagon Foundation, which he founded two years ago.

Since then, he has met celebrities and dignitaries, including President Bush, and stockpiled awards. The 9-year-old has an impressive resume: recipient of the 2007 President's Call to Service Award; the 2007 Huggable Hero Award, presented by Build-A-Bear; the 2006 Governor's Points of Light Award; the 2007 Care Bear Care-A-Lot Award; and the 2007 Young Philanthropist Award.

The third-grader's sophisticated Web site outlines his accomplishments and goals. There are tabs and links to tell viewers things such as his schedule, how to donate and how to register to walk with him.

There's even a survey about the homeless and advertisements.

The 250-mile trip to Tallahassee will take three weeks, with legs of more than 10 miles a day. Zach begins the journey Nov. 3, at the Lazydays RV lot (one of his sponsors).

"I think it's pretty ambitious," said Zach's mom, Laurie. "He kind of threw it out there. I wasn't really ready for it."

She said that about a year ago, her boy saw the Peace Pilgrim documentary.

"I thought that would be the end of it," she said. "But then, he said he wanted to do a walk." She said he wanted to do it in November because Congress had designated that month as National Homeless Youth Awareness Month.

"I never thought it would happen," she said, "but then, he started writing to people."

And the response was there.

Besides the donation of the motor home, Cracker Barrel restaurants are donating 50 meals for Zach, his mom and volunteers along the way. Anyone else who wants to make donations can log on to the foundation's Web site to make arrangements.

"When I started, I kind of wanted to raise $250,000, but I don't think I'll reach that," he said. "I'll take whatever I can get."

The Little Red Wagon Foundation Web site has a "Where Is Zach" update on his progress for when the trip begins. For now, it has the anticipated schedule of where he will be on each day. He's hoping to make 11 miles a day while fitting in talks to charity groups along the way and a little homework, Laurie Bonner said.

Because Zach is home-schooled through the Florida Virtual Academy, the trip won't pose an attendance problem, she said. He is already months ahead in his studies. "He's been doing school work six and seven days a week" to get ahead, she said. He also has time set aside for schoolwork along the way.

He was 6 when he began his charity work.

That's when, after Hurricane Charley, he handed our fliers soliciting donations and ended up with a garage full of bottled water, food and baby supplies, all collected from his Lithia Ridge neighbors.

Last year, he organized a Christmas party for young victims of Hurricane Katrina living in a FEMA trailer park in Louisiana. His pleas for donations met with success, both on the national and local level, and he received enough offerings to give Christmas presents to 750 children.

He won't be alone on his Tallahassee walk, his mom said. Volunteers will accompany him, at least two at a time, and she said, "I'll be walking with him probably for all of it."

To keep up with Zach, go to www.littleredwagonfoundation.com.

Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 259-7760 or kmorelli@tampatrib.com.

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