I started this fundraiser because I want to make a real, tangible difference for people who are fighting these same dark battles and for people experiencing homelessness. This cause is deeply personal to me, and I want to turn support into action that helps both in the moment and over time.

The other night, I was out with friends at a bar. I did not want to drive home, so I got a ride from a friend I had not seen much since high school. We got deep into conversation, and eventually he talked to me about his father's recent passing. We both went on about our past relationships and what we could have worked on. He told me about his addictions to numb his pain, and I shared mine with him. At about 4:00 AM, it dawned on me that although we used to talk nearly every morning in high school, I had not asked him how he was doing, what he was going through, or anything along those lines even once in the five years since.

That realization stayed with me. I have always struggled with depression, finding anything that was not extreme to be completely boring. If it was not fighting, partying, or straight-up destruction, I felt like an absolute outsider. For years, in both my work life and past relationships, I tried to mask my personality with a goodie persona. It took a massive toll on me mentally, to the point where I tried to take my own life, and brought down the people around me as well. Even on some of my best days, when everything seemed perfect, it was incredibly hard. On the outside, I was fine. Everyone thought I was this happy, cheerful guy that everyone got along with. But when I went home, I was horrible to the people in my inner circle and distant from my closest friends and family. Nobody knew what I was really going through, and it was unbearable for the few people who did.

The weight of this battle is incredibly heavy, and right before February of last year, one of my closest friends ended their life. In the last year, I quit living up to other people's expectations and started living for my own. I have embraced the chaotic life I love, and I am going to channel it into something good. When I was younger, one of the few things that helped me cope and get through high school was going on runs with my brother. That is a big part of why I am choosing to do this now, and why I keep coming back to the idea that we all need to talk to each other more. Sometimes asking someone how they are doing really matters.

Now, as a 23-year-old, taking this next leap is terrifying, but in the next couple of weeks, I am going to lace up and run from Prescott, Wisconsin to El Paso, Texas, or as far as my body can physically take me.

How the money will be used:

• Half will be donated directly to established mental health organizations, including NAMI and AFSP.
• I will fully document those donations for transparency so supporters can see exactly where that portion goes.
• The other half will be used by me directly to help homeless people and people I know who are actively struggling mentally.
• That direct help will go toward shoes, food, and other basic necessities.
• I also want to personally spend time with people, go out to eat with them, spend entire days with them, and treat them like regular people, because they are regular people.

If this mission speaks to you, please consider donating or sharing this fundraiser. Your support will help me assist people directly, support mental health organizations, and show care to people who are too often overlooked.