norman horn
Norman Horn, right. (photo provided)
Hiking, traveling and raising money for a good cause are three things Norman Horn enjoys.
Horn, a former fitness trainer and running coach, recently started a company called Coast to Coast for the Kids in hopes of spreading awareness of pediatric cancer.
“I have been a part of THON [Penn State's yearlong fundraiser] for 10 to 11 years now, and I’ve been raising money for pediatric cancer, so I sort of combined the ideas together to create this non-profit company,” Horn said. “I wanted to support childhood cancer and create some sort of healthy initiative.
The son of Roberta Horn — an employee at Bell's Elementary School in Washington Township — Norman Horn is about to embark on a journey beginning in San Francisco and ending in Atlantic City.
And he's doing it on foot.
While walking, Horn plans to stop along the way to meet people and talk about his company, all while aiming to raise money that he plans to donate. All the funds raised during the walk will go to the Four Diamonds Fund at the Hershey Medical Center, in Hershey, Pa.
The fund helps to conquer childhood cancer by assisting children at the Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital as well as their families through care, support and research, according to the fund’s website.
He hopes to speak to groups in as many as towns as possible along the route, but he says it all depends on the timing.
“I don’t know where I’ll be and when I’ll be there. Weather can hold me back, my physical ability can hold me back,” he said.
Horn plans to document the entire trip with videos and blogging on his website, as well as social media.
He also plans to raise money by challenging people across the country to virtually walk with him.
“On the website there is a registration page where people can sign up, as one person or a team of up to five people. The goal is to have everyone count their steps and, at the end of the week, you email the number of steps you or your team have walked,” he said.
He said it would be a challenge in the sense that he wants people to match his steps. He said he plans to walk 15 to 20 miles a day, but that pace can be difficult for most people because they are busy with jobs and other commitments.
Horn has put together packages that he sends to people who have signed up to walk, including a pedometer, golden shoelaces that represent pediatric cancer, and silicon bracelets.
“Online, there will be a ticker that says ‘You have walked this many steps towards cancer.’ I want people to match me,” he said.
So far, more than $2,500 has been raised from people signing up online to virtually walk with Horn, as well as from small donations from the public.
He knows it will be a difficult few months, but he is eager to begin.
“It was on my bucket list for years and years, and I found a window of opportunity to start this. I saw this through and there’s no going back,” he said. “I’m excited to get going.”
Horn plans to finish the walk in Atlantic City. For more information on Horn's journey, or where to donate, visit coast2coastftk.com
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Contact staff writer Kristina Pritchett at 856-686-3655 or kpritchett@southjerseymedia.com