Two days after they were set free, I promised Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight that I would give them 10 days of my life in honor of their 10 years of perseverance. To fulfill my promise, I walked over 240 miles across the entire state of Ohio in 10 days, working to raise awareness for the victims of sexual violence. I met Gina’s mom at the end of the walk; 2207 Seymour Ave, where the girls were held captive for over a decade.
I gave some t-shirts to Gina’s mom She promised that she would give them to Gina. I was sent this picture just two days after Ariel Castro was sentenced to life in prison, plus 1,000 years.
Gina, I hope you are doing well and I am glad to see that the shirt fits. I am even more thrilled to see that Ariel Castro will spend the rest of his life in prison. As you begin to build your new life, I hope you reach all of the new and exciting goals you set out to achieve. If any challenge becomes too great to face alone, please know that you have a friend down the street.
What are you committed to accomplishing? I will send 10 promise cards to you anywhere in the world at no cost. You can still donate to help the victims of sexual violence by visiting http://rainn.org. Half of the money goes to the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization and the other half goes directly to Gina, Amanda and Michelle. None of the money will come to because I said I would.
“You can pretend to care, but you can’t pretend to show up.”