Jimmy Wayne kicks off long walk for homeless

Approximately 100 people gathered on the front lawn of Monroe Harding on New Year's Day to support Wayne, and nearly 75 people joined him on the first mile of his walk, which will end in Phoenix.

Wayne's intention is to raise awareness of the plight of the homeless, especially at risk children, teens and young adults in the foster care system. He also wants to raise funds for organizations that benefit homeless youth, including HomeBase Youth Services, a Phoenix-based organization that provides essentials for homeless young adults and Monroe Harding, a foster care group home in Nashville.

Wayne's label, Valory Music, kicked things off by donating $50,000 to the Meet Me Halfway project.

The travel has been a bit more challenging than anticipated since New Year's Day also heralded in one of the coldest periods of weather the Southeast has seen in a while, with single digit temperatures plaguing much of the area and predicted to last the rest of the week.

"I knew it was going to be cold, but I didn't think it'd be this cold for this long," Wayne said. "Thank goodness I have a tent and sleeping bag that are designed for sub zero temperatures. It's been tough going the past four days. But when I get down, I just think about the kids at Monroe Harding and all the kids like them around the country who may really be facing a homeless situation once they are too old for foster care and group homes. That keeps me going."

Marmot Sportswear is providing Wayne with essential cold weather clothing and gear for Meet Me Halfway.