My name is Jim Toren and I am the Events Coordinator for
FootPrints for Peace. In November 2008 I received an email from my friend Rebecca Glasscock at the Bluegrass Community College introducing me to Todd Kelly. Todd was interested in organizing a walk from a coal field in eastern KY to Frankfort KY for the annual I Love Mountains Day being held by the Kentuckians For The Commonwealth. Rebecca has walked with FootPrints for Peace before during the Prisoners of Conscience event back in September 2008 and knew that I might be able to help.
I wasn't the only person to receive the email. A few days later Sam Avery joined in and a little later Connie Lemley and her family joined our little organizing group too. And thats the short version of how it all got started.
The crew from FootPrints For Peace arrived in Lexington about 6 PM in time for a little supper and a meeting with the group of folks that were going to participate in the event.
The meeting was held at the Friends House and the supper was 'delish', Spaghetti with some super ‘delish’ garlic bread. It was a great dinner in so far as we got to meet all the folks at the table and get to know them better.
After the meal those who wanted to stay were shown a video that Randy Wilson had brought to show. This was a very dynamic video and did a very good job of explaining the issues and therefore why we are walking and rallying.
The first leg of the walk was from Triangle Park to Versailles, a distance ot 13 miles. The second day would be 17 miles and it would be from Versailles to Frankfort.
After breakfast at the Friends House we were going to walk donw to Triangle Park where the press was supposed to meet us and do a story on our walk. But they never showed up so circled and then began our walk,
The photos above were taken at Triangle Park before we got started. As it happens two ladies who had heard about our walk came to run the 13 miles to Versailles!
By
Sharon Grant
Louisville Kentucky
February 17th, 2009
I hear the sound of the beat of the drums and the sound of the chanting.
And my heart hears the cry of the mountains and the anguish of the streams.
How can these cries be heard in the chambers of law makers?
The mountains and streams have no voice in those places of power,
but ours..! my voice and yours.
When our hearts hear these cries we cannot keep their sorrow to ourselves.
Brother mountain and sister stream need us to speak for them.
We are all one with the mountains and streams and rivers and deer and eagles.
When they suffer, we hurt too.
Let us turn to our divine source at the heart of the universe
with praise and with reliance on the Great Spirit
to sustain us in our walking
Click here to download a .rtf copy
Peacehq
FootPrints For 
