Danny Garcia is walking and praying for children and world peace. |
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Walk of HOPE for HAITI - Begins February 1st
Santo Domingo to Port Au Prince for Earthquake Victims
Danny Garcia, “The Walking Man”, will conduct a cross-country prayer walk from the Dominican Republic to Haiti and pray for the victims of the earthquake which devastated the island nation of Haiti on January 12, 2010.
Daniel Garcia
Danny Garcia, a follower of Jesus Christ, has walked for children and world peace on five continents for more than 13 years. When Danny Garcia took his first steps in1996 toward a personal commitment to peace, he could scarcely fathom that he would continue walking globally and in 2008 complete 25,000 miles, more than the circumference of the earth.
During his early years, Danny lived in four of the five Burroughs of New York. At the age of 17, Danny joined the United States Marine Corps. During his tour in the Marine Corps, he was a Communications Chief, Human Relations instructor, Drug and Alcohol Counselor, and a Career Counselor. In 1968, Danny returned to civilian life and worked for the Shell Oil Company. He trained under the leadership of Bud Roberts, art director and head of Public Relations. Danny successfully worked at Shell Oil until 1972, when he reentered the Marine Corps and served until 1975.
In 1973, while stationed in Nam Phuong, Thailand, Danny worked as the Command Counselor for Alcohol and Drug Abuse and the Instructor for the Human Relations Program. Racial tensions during the Vietnam era were at the highest, and Danny’s job was to halt it. He stopped use of drugs within the ranks and eliminated racial violence amongst marines. Danny credits his success to the Lord and the Life Values of Robert L. Humphrey, author of the Human Relations Program written for the Marines.
From 1975 to 1995, Danny Garcia served in several law enforcement capacities in San Diego, California: Correctional Officer, Metropolitan Correctional Center, Federal Prison; Lieutenant, Burns Security; and Site Commander, Salk Institute. He has also served as the Drug and Alcohol Counselor at NEPSI Narcotics Treatment Program; Drug and Alcohol Counselor at the Methadone Clinic; and Peer Group Counselor at Patrick Henry High School.
During that same time period, 1978 – 1996, Danny made various journeys throughout the world, presenting symbols of peace to dignitaries and world leaders on behalf of the Children of Our World Organization. Presentations, either personally or through intermediaries include: UNICEF at the UN; Prime Minister Shamir in Israel; Pope John Paul II in Rome; Princess Anne in England; President of the Olympic Committee in Seoul, Korea; US Presidents Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, and Jimmy Carter; Mother Theresa in San Diego, CA; Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Ralph Bunch in NYC; Stevie Wonder; Michael Jackson; Whitney Houston; Redd Fox; Dr. Jonas Salk; Jackie Kennedy Onasis; and Mohammed Ali.
On Dec 7, 1996, began a journey of faith, ministering the love of God by literally walking around the world. Danny walked more than 3,500 miles on behalf of the Children of our World and World Peace. He walked from San Francisco to Tiajuana, then from Alexandria, VA to the Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in tribute to the innocent children who lost their lives in the bombing of that building, arriving at the one year anniversary of the tragic event. The final leg of the trek was Miami, FL, to NYC, NY. Dr. Deloise Blakeley, Acting Mayor of Harlem, joined Danny, whose arrival coincided with a walk to the UN from Harlem with children from 185 countries.
In 1997, Danny walked from the Mexican/US border to Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, CA, for Super Bowl XXXII Sunday. In his honor, the Mayor of San Diego proclaimed Jan 25, 1998 as Danny Garcia Day.
In 1998, Danny attended a United Nations Peace Summit in NYC for the International day of Peace, in conjunction with the Season of Nonviolence. Danny traveled to Europe where he continued to walk for children and world peace. His walks took him to Egypt, as well as to countries in Europe, Asia, and Australia.
The culmination of his four-year walk around the world ended in Sydney, Australia, in September of 2000 in conjunction with the opening of the Olympic Games. Danny invited Bruce Stephen Foster to join him in Sydney at Planet Hollywood to perform the song he coauthored with Richie Sambora, called “One Night of Peace.” The event conveyed a plea for every nation on Earth to honor a 24-hour cease fire prior to the lighting of the Olympic torch so every child in the world could experience “One Night of Peace.” This song inspired Danny to produce a day-long concert which promoted the UN’s International Day of Peace month-long Celebration.
On November 11, 2000, Danny traveled to Rome, Italy for the closing of the Holy Door at the Vatican in the Millennial Year of Jubilee. Later that month, on the 29th, Danny visited the Philippines for a walk organized jointly by the Red Cross, the National Press Club, and with the support of Philippines Dept. of Interior and its local government. His walk started in Laoag, Llocos Norte and ended in December 2000 in Manila.
In February 2001, Danny promoted the cause of Peace in Australia and in June walked from Jordan to Israel. Upon his return to the USA after the terrorist attacks of September 11th, Danny visited Ground Zero, where the Twin towers once stood, and was deeply moved with compassion and anguish at the site. On September 1st, 2003, Danny walked from the Ground Zero to Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, MD, arriving on September 10th. On the morning of September 11th, Danny continued his walk to the Pentagon, where he participated in the memorial ceremony in the chapel of the Pentagon. This is the exact location where the plane hit the building.
During 2005, Danny lived in the Philippines where he continued walking for Children’s Rights and World Peace.
On September 12, 2005 Danny walked 180 miles from the Grafton Peace Pagoda in Albany, NY, to the UN, arriving for UN’s International Day of Peace on September 21, 2005
In November 2005, after the Hurricane Katrina leveled the city of New Orleans, Danny partnered with the New Orleans Mission to relieve the chaos and massive destruction. The mission was severely damaged, lost most of its roof, which destroyed the mission’s contents and rendered the building uninhabitable. Danny received support from Dare 2 Dream and students at TCI College in NYC, who sponsored Danny’s 33-day, 1200 mile walk to New Orleans. Danny raised awareness of the continuing struggles of the victims of Hurricane Katrina and their need for national support. He raised $500,000 in cash and in-kind donations to rebuild the New Orleans Mission and put a roof over the heads of thousands of people who seek refuge at the mission annually.
Queen Noor of Jordon accepts a Jubillenium candle as a gift of peaceIn January 2006, Danny shifted his focus and formed a non-profit organization, Global Walk Foundation, which sought to raise money for children’s charities, AIDS orphans, and water. The aims and purposes of all Danny’s walks throughout the world are the same: to facilitate, promote, and support the needs of children and their families, which include engaging in humanitarian aid to victims of fire, poverty, flood, earthquake, or war. He’s also created ways of using his walks for peace to financially benefit other causes that seek his support.
In July 2007, Danny and his Global Walk team travelled to Africa and visited the countries of South Africa, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Southern Sudan. Because of his humble desire to walk for peace in war torn Southern Sudan, his persistence and grace inspired the Government of Southern Sudan’s declaration of the International Day of Peace as a national holiday. In 2009, Danny will continue to inspire world peace by activating awareness towards helping others at times of need, and by supporting human rights and teaching people how to communicate and respect diverse ethnic groups. His next endeavor will be to restart the mileage ticker and begin another cross country walk , then chronicle his amazing walk of faith in an autobiography and through speaking engagements worldwide.
