Go and do

What: Hike for Homeless Veterans dinner and dance

When: 5 p.m. potluck supper, 8 p.m. dance, Saturday, July 26

Where: Murray Hall in Livermore Falls

Cost: $5 (proceeds will go to homeless veterans)

FMI: Palmer Hebert, 897-2859; Carolyn and Steve Greeley, 645-3072

Appalachian Trail hike
Jay man raising focus, funds for homeless vets

JAY – Undeterred by bad weather and failed hiking boots, a former U.S. Army sergeant from North Jay was 377 miles from completing his through-hike of the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine on Tuesday.

Jarad Greeley, 26, is using the trek to focus attention and resources on the nation’s homeless veterans. With help from fundraising co-sponsor Palmer Hebert of Livermore Falls, he has raised $1,410.

“I’ve been plugging away at it and getting the word out, spending eight to 10 hours a week, but that’s nothing compared to what he’s doing,” said Hebert, past commander of the Frank L. Mitchell Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 2335 in Jay.

According to Greeley’s parents, Steve and Carolyn Greeley of North Jay, the 2001 graduate of Jay High School has lost 30 pounds since starting the more than 2,000-mile hike from Springer Mountain, Ga., on March 8.

“We are so proud of our son for taking on this quest at a time when he needed to cleanse himself on this spiritual walk. He went beyond thinking of self,” Carolyn Greeley said Monday in North Jay.

She was referring to her son’s four-year commitment with the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division that included a 15-month tour in Iraq. Soon after discharge, Jarad Greeley decided to make the journey to draw attention to the plight of homeless veterans, estimated at 195,000 on any given night, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

The Greeleys traveled to Kinsman Notch, N.H., on Tuesday to meet with and re-supply Jarad, who will take a break from the trip on Saturday, July 26, to attend a fundraiser dinner and dance at Murray Hall in Livermore Falls.

Carolyn Greeley said the event starts at 5 p.m. with a potluck supper. A dance, with music provided by Livermore Falls disc jockey Jim Landry, begins at 8. Proceeds will go to homeless veterans.

“It’s a way to support and meet Jarad and hear his stories,” Carolyn Greeley said.

Jarad Greeley’s journey can be followed through blogs posted on his Hike for Homeless Veterans Web site at http://vfwwebcom.org/homelessveterans.

To help homeless veterans through his journey, write to: The Homeless Veterans, P.O. Box 27, Jay, ME 04239, or call 897-0900, or Hebert at 897-2859, or the Greeleys at 645-3072.