90-year-old Peoria man walking through 16 states to fight childhood cancer

By Yukare Nakayama

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    GOODLAND, Indiana (WLS) — A 90-year-old man from northern Peoria is walking over 3,000 miles to raise money for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Tennessee.

Dean Troutman started his walk 11 days ago, stopping in Goodland, Indiana on Wednesday. He will be walking through 16 states including Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, and Missouri.

“If these old legs will hold up and the donations continue pouring into St. Jude, I’m going to continue this circle through 16 states and I’ll return back home next July or August,” said Troutman.

Troutman said he has a high donation goal of $1 million. So far, he’s raised about $16,000.

In his first few days of walking, Troutman has encountered supporters, like Diane Brinkman.

“It’s amazing,” Brinkman said. “I don’t know that at my age I could do that, but I give him much kudos because it’s quite a feat especially at 90.”

This isn’t Troutman’s first walk, but it is his longest and his last. In 2014, he walked 700 miles around Illinois to raise money for Troutman Park, in memory of his late wife. He raised $70,000 to build a playground for his community.

The next year, Troutman raised $10,000 for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis. Troutman walked from Princeville, Illinois to Memphis, Tennessee.

So far, Troutman has walked about 150 miles. He said he will continue to walk as long as he can until he hits his donation goal. “If the donations keep pouring in and my legs hold up, I’m going to continue walking,” he said.

To donate to Troutman’s cause, you can visit troutmantrek.com or mail donations to St. Jude at:

St. Jude Challenge

Troutman Trek 4 Attn: Alex Fountain 501 St. Jude Place Memphis, TN 38105

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