Man to Walk Over 800 Miles Across MI to Raise Funds for UCP

IRONWOOD, MI - Wednesday, June 18, 2008 - Neil Sauter of Blissville Michigan is walking across the State of Michigan on stilts to raise money for United Cerebral Palsy. 

Neil suffers from the disease. It effects only his legs, causing tightness in his calves and his ankles when he walks. Despite many twisted ankles Neil has always been able to participate in athletic activities. He had a tendon relocation surgery as a teenager and uses stretching to increase his mobility.

Few people believed that Neil would be able to make the walk across Michigan. He understood that he needed to gain some credibility before anyone would be willing to support or donate to a plan to walk across the state on stilts. Although the purpose of the marathon was to gain credibility it was also a great opportunity to start doing some fundraising and spreading the word about United Cerebral Palsy.

Neil's obsession with stilts began when his parents bought an inflatable clown suit for a Halloween costume. Neil already new how to juggle so he began volunteering his time as a clown for children's events and parades. Soon he learned to create balloon animals and perform magic tricks. Wanting to improve his stilt-walking skills, Neil contacted an entertainer who he had seen for years at the Blissfield River Raisin Festival. Neil was told that if he could learn to walk on stilts he could have a job walking in parades and at festivals. In the following summer of 2007 Neil's career as a stilt walker began.

Neil is scheduled to be in Ironwood on Friday, June 27, 2008.

The Comfort Inn will be donating a room to Neil on Friday night and on Saturday morning he will get a police escort at 9:00 AM from the Comfort Inn to the Michigan/Wisconsin border.

Kim Kolesar, Director of the Ironwood Area Chamber of Commerce, is spearheading efforts to welcome Sauter and to congratulate him for his efforts. "To show our community support," Kolesar explains,  "We are asking groups, organizations, individuals, and businesses to please show up on Saturday morning along Highway U.S. 2 (between the Comfort Inn and the Michigan Welcome Center) to cheer him on as he crosses over into Wisconsin ending his journey of 830 miles across Michigan on stilts. If you have an outdoor sign (anywhere on U.S. 2) please put something on your sign welcoming him to Ironwood or congratulating him on his successful journey."

Sauter began his 830 mile journey on three foot stilts back on May 5th in Lambertville on the Ohio-Michigan border.

Neil grew up in Blissfield Michigan with his two wonderful sisters and loving parents. He received his bachelors of Psychology from Grand Valley State University in 2006. Since that time he has worked at the HOPE CENTER, a day center for people with disabilities, and has been an adjunct psychology faculty at Jackson Community College. He is engaged to be married in the fall.

For more information on this story and to follow his journey visit his website at: http://www.stiltstory.org/walk_across_michigan

For more information regarding local efforts to show support for Neil's successful jouney, contact Kim Kolesar at the Ironwood Area Chamber of Commerce - (906) 932-1122.