#GETWALKING to the White House with Terence Lester!

Who is Terence Lester? and WHY is he walking to the white house from Atlanta, GA?!

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"Terence Lester is a minister, community activist and a native of Atlanta, GA. He has a strong passion for family, God, and seeing the change through tangible acts of kindness. In 2013, he started a local non-profit (Love Beyond Walls) that has raised awareness about social injustices such as homelessness, poverty in education, and food insecurity. His public awareness campaign ideas have been viewed by over 1 Million people nationwide. One of Terence’s greatest passions involves connecting creativity to mission work, and moving people to love people where they are. Additionally, Terence holds four degrees, has spoken locally & nationally, and has written several books."

Currently, Terence is walking 648 miles to the White House from Atlanta, GA and making impacts on different areas across his path to help benefit the local communities to come together.

Our Editor in Chief, found out Terence's story through social media and thought it would be fabulous to share with our readers about this amazing journey he is on! Although Terence was already on his walk, JZ had the absolute pleasure of connecting with him and he made the time to answer a few fun questions about his journey, inspirations and more!

JZ: Would love to know how you came up with the idea of walking to the white house out of all places?

Terence: "The Capitol is the place that serves the country. I'm walking to remind us all that there are people who are suffering and need love and support."

JZ: Why are you walking 648 miles?

T: "Specifically, I’m walking to raise awareness about the millions of people who live in poverty in America. With this campaign, it is our intent to elevate stories over stats. Each week, our organization resources people who wrestle with poverty, and many of those stories represented will go unheard. "

Terence informs us that the stories include:

*Single moms who struggle to care for their children

*Homeless people who did not ask to be homeless, or struggle to find help

*Working class people that walk miles to secure resources to survive and live

*Senior citizens that live on less than $100 per month.

*Mothers that struggle to gain resources for their children

*Persons who have been unemployed for months, and do not have any job leads

*Persons who have severe health problems, but can’t afford adequate health coverage

*Homeless people who struggles to find a place to shower from month to month

*Families that have been evicted in the last month

JZ: "Now Terence, what sparked the idea?"

T: "Every single week, people walk to our headquarters in College Park for various items to survive. Many walk to receive groceries because they are food insecure. Some walk for haircuts from our Mobile Makeover Bus. Some walk to wash their clothes because they need to save the few dollars and not spend it at the coin laundry. Some walk for clothing out of our closet to do interviews. Some walk to attend educational workshops that we host. Whatever reason, many people walk because they lack transportation and most times—hope."

"Therefore, people that we encounter on a week-to-week basis inspired the idea. Their strength, courage, and tenacity has pushed me to identify with the suffering of the poor in the country. Also, I’m walking to share a message that to overcome poverty it takes many steps, and people can beat poverty by takin the right steps."

JZ: What is the name of your walk and what inspired it "#MAP16"?

T: "MAP16 stands for “March Against Poverty in 2016.” We chose MAP because a map is a symbolism for direction. Not only do we hope to inspire onlookers to get involved, but to inspire people to create life-maps that will lead them out of poverty."

JZ: Why walk instead of riding a bike or traveling in a car?

T: "I have chosen to walk because when you walk—you see more, and understand more. Additionally, walking has many symbolisms:"

1) "Walking symbolizes long-suffering. There are many people who wrestle with poverty and have been doing so for a long time. In fact, many people have had to display long-suffering in dealing with poverty. I have chosen to walk this distance to identify with those who suffer for long periods of time."

2) "Walking symbolizes taking one step at a time. There are no quick fixes when it comes to poverty, however we can collectively provide solutions and make strides one-step at a time. Additionally, if someone is wrestling with poverty, we’d like this demonstration to symbolize that poverty can be overcome one step at a time."

3) "Walking symbolizes the ordinary. Sometimes people think that we need to have magical powers before we make a difference in the lives of others and the world. That’s not true. We are making this trip to inspire individuals, small organizations, and groups of people to take a stand for something. Everyday ordinary people can make a difference."

JZ: Where have you been staying along your route?

T: "We stay in hotels when they are donated, but for the most part we have been staying on the Mobile Makeovers Bus that our organization uses to serve homeless people in Atlanta."

JZ: Where do you determine you stop at and why?

T: "I walked 13-15 miles a day so I stop in every single town that we travel through. The Google Map that gives us routes allows us to experience poverty everywhere."

JZ: 'What is the end goal once you get there?'

T: "Meet the President, law makers, and give a talk to men at a local shelter."

"We would like to develop a love center... Check out that content on our gofundme page to add this gofundme.com/lovecenter ."

BEST OF LUCK ON YOUR JOURNEY TERENCE!! WE CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT IS NEXT FOR YOU!

Follow updates from Terence and his team here:

lovebeyondwalls.org

Learn Terence's full story HERE: