Walking Alongside Johnnie

By walking for Outreach during this year’s Walking for Dreams event, you will be walking alongside young adults like Johnnie, who spent much of his life in foster care. After his mom was incarcerated when he was only four years old, he and his siblings were separated. For years, Johnnie bounced from foster home to foster home with very little stability in his life.

At the age of fifteen, Johnnie was placed with a sweet woman who cared deeply for his well-being. Eventually, she adopted him, married the love of her life, and, together, they moved to Indianapolis to live with her husband. Shortly after, Johnnie’s new mom passed away suddenly, leaving him with his adopted father.

They did their best to make things work, but, at the age of eighteen, Johnnie was asked to leave the household. Couch surfing with friends sustained him for a time, but Johnnie eventually ended up at Wheeler Mission. A former case manager at Outreach named Anthony Baker connected with Johnnie easily. Anthony poured into Johnnie and built his trust up, and Johnnie eventually found his way to Outreach.

That was nearly four years ago and each day, Johnnie strives to do better than the day before. He has completed his GED and is working towards achieving his other goals. Johnnie even recently reconnected with his mother after she got released from prison, and he’s working on trusting her again—just like he learned to trust Outreach.

Every step you take with us this May makes the pathway clearer for young adults like Johnnie. Start your own Walking for Dreams team with your family and friends or walk as an individual to help us reach our goal of raising $50,000!