The Historic Walk...
Getting Ready:
The vision came while Ms. Milano was sitting at table convinced there was a way to propel forward, advance from ideas practically coming to fruition to actually existing for practical use. She remembered a statement... "Bird in hand"... she repeated it looking around at the things she owned, there wasn't much there for a single mother of five but she knew there had to be some way. Then she thought of her storage shed where in her mind's eye she could see the wagon she purchased some four years earlier as a security investment, thinking one day she would use it to house and sell her one of a kind, international snack food.
Out of thin air, the idea crossed her mind, "What if I push my wagon from Savannah to Atlanta?" Her assistant 
instantly protested and yet the vision unfolded, she could see it in her mind and knew that making the wagon a historic item, she would then be able to use it to acquire the revenue to officially launch the organization. She talked of how she would stake a flag every mile and tell people about victim recovery, how child abuse and neglect were not just children's issues but environmental issues. She saw what she needed to make it happen and sought out immediately to achieve it.
Ms. Milano gave herself one month's time knowing child abuse and neglect awareness month was just around the corner and she had to start then. The miles were counted, the mileage chart was created, body building sessions began immediately with professional body builder Mr. Tony O'Connor and wagon reconstruction began. Thanks to the affective fund raising of her family, she was able to gather the supplies needed to journey out. One month later, after 20 minutes of deliberation, Ms. Milano looked up to the sky and said, "sis, I will give your love... our love a voice" and she stepped out into the road beginning what is now being called "The Historic Walk of Love."
Walking the Talk:
What was supposed to be 16 days, took 6 weeks 5 days, not at all what Ms. Milano planned for but then, "we talk about our plan but we walk-about the ordained plan" she states while reflecting on the conditions she faced along the way. "People have yet to realize, this walk was not just about walking for awareness, I walk straight through the heart of awareness talking to hundreds of people along the roadside. I spoke to recently raped victims, child abuse and neglect victims, former and present victims, foster parents, the recovered, adoptive parents, social service workers, students from elementary though college, families in crisis, police officers, firemen, offenders, counselors, mental health officials, government officials, news media and too many children to count. Honestly, I have walked with people from the Ghetto to the Meadow, from every walk of life. People are people with unique variables that continuously alter their contributions to life. Stripped down, we are all naked beings, it is what is deposited/added to us and the that which we withdraw from the world that conceals us, cloaks us from our nature. We are universally 'folk', whom for one reason or another have heart ache. From the settler to the meddler you will find the hope and mercy necessary for survival. Hope and mercy are to the soul what food and water are to the flesh, without them we die. What people want is to be loved... what people need is love accompanied by grace. Americans have cycled through centuries of maltreatment and I hope to help them realize that now it is time for lineal healing.
Each morning, I'd sit to the side of whatever bed I was on and spend time, often several hours, convincing myself to press on. At times, I'd have to speak to 
each individual toe, limb and bone if necessary just to get out on the road again. There were times I drew my strength from the people who hosted me for the night, asking them if I was going to make it. In those moments, I had to believe in their words more than in my own for there were those days when I'd stand weak, filled with doubt. I realized of the power of encouragement, not just self motivation but the encouragement of others can push you through your most discouraging even defeatist moments. It was in this realization that I began to have people sign my journal, so that when I was alone in the middle of nowhere far, I'd have their words to reflect on which often empowered me another few miles. 
Twenty miles a day, that's what we estimated could be done. The first thing to change that estimation came with the first push of the loaded up wagon... the weight of the wagon itself! Then came the traffic, the hills... oh my word... the hills! It was not only the hills, the trucks! In the hard times for truckers who are being pressed financially by the gas hike, they are taking greater risks. I see them falling asleep far too often and carrying overloaded trucks to make compensation. All these dynamics put other travelers on the road in jeopardy. 
Pulling off the road some 200-300 times a day for traffic and conversations (that sometimes took hours) with inquiring minds add to my travel time by half. On a good day, I could do twelve miles... not too many of those! On my worst day, I'd do three miles, that was usually on a Sunday. Of the six weeks five days, I took off 10 days, four days after being side swiped by a semi-truck, two days for the Mother's Day Tornadoes, two days for mechanical repairs to 
the wagon and three other days to see my Kiddies. When people ask me why did it take so long, these are the reasons it took so long. Someone asked me why I say it took me six weeks five days if I took ten days off, my response was and will always be, recovery time is part of the journey, never leave out time to recover! Time to recover should be factored into your plans the way that margins of error are factored into a business plan. This is one of many vital lessons I have learned on the road.
What was most important to me about this journey was finishing! Not just finishing but finishing with my children at my side. I refused to cross the finish line without them and together we walked into the Atlanta city limit. My kiddies needed to realize this was a family effort and we were going to finish together, as a family. I did it, we did it, all of us together with those whose lives were touched along the way. 
From Savannah to Atlanta, I had spoken to the children telling them they could do anything they put their minds to, telling the victims it is imperative that they recover their lives and that the hope for wellness was not only possible but obtainable, telling people it is worth finishing the race of life and finding a way to thrive in the place we all survive... all these and more I spoke so to not finish this leg of the awareness journey to the best of my human capability would have killed inspiration, that was unacceptable to me. Listen, I'm still here... life is worth the living." (Book coming soon)
Returning Home:
On June 17th, two weeks after completing the 250 Mile Push for Awareness, Ms. Milano departed 
Savannah to Atlanta with a U-Haul truck and trailer to bring the wagon home and prepare it for the fund raiser leg of the journey, "The Golden Wagon Children's Benefit Auction" is being scheduled. The journey home took one week while remaining signatures were added to the wagon and final repairs were made.
