Funding Mark's Sons' Camino Pilgrimage

Hi I'm Kevin. Several years ago I began a journey with my dear friend and mentor Mark Cichorz to complete the Camino Santiago in Spain. The Camino is a 500+ mile walk/hike that has historically been a spiritual pilgrimage. Our first week on the Camino was in 2017 and it had a tremendous impact on our lives and in our friendship. We decided that year that we were going to walk a little bit of it together until we completed it. We hiked again in 2018 & 2019, making progress section by section. We shared laughs, cries and deep conversations along the way. Our bond was growing, not just in our friendship but with the Camino and the people we encountered along it. Then Covid came and interrupted our plans. In 2023 we began discussing continuing our journey. Unfortunately and tragically Mark got sick and passed away suddenly in December of 2023. It has absolutely gutted those of us who knew him as well as his family. His daily influence is missed by so many people. At Mark's funeral I mentioned to his family that I intended on continuing the journey he and I began and my intent was to complete it in his honor and memory. Three of his sons indicated a strong desire to join me and being their own journey in memory of their Dad. They will begin their walk in September of this year. My goal is to raise money to help them pay for this experience so they can focus on their Dad and not worry about the costs. All of the money raised will go directly to them to support their trip.