Amanda Berry, Gina Dejesus and Michelle Knight Rescue Inspires 240-Mile Walk to Raise Funds [VIDEO]
A Cleveland man embarked on a 240-mile trek over the weekend dedicated to the three women allegedly held captive by Ariel Castro for more than a decade.
Alex Sheen, of Lakewood, Ohio, started from the Friendship Park in downtown Cincinnati around 7 p.m. on June 15 and began his walk on foot to Cleveland. He is expected to arrive at his destination on June 25 at approximately 10 p.m., according to ABC 9's WCPO.com.
Sheen is making the 10-day journey to raise funds for Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight, the three women reportedly held captive and sexually abused for more than 10 years by 52-year-old Castro in the basement of his Cleveland home. Castro, a former school bus driver, pleaded not guilty on June 12 to 329 charges. He faces 139 counts of rape, 177 counts of kidnapping, seven counts of gross sexual imposition, three counts of felonious assault and one count of possession of criminal tools.
The women were freed on Sheen's birthday, May 6, and he decided he wanted to spread awareness about sexual violence. During his journey, he will perform several "random acts of kindness" to show sexually assaulted victims that there people who care about them and acknowledge what they have experienced, according to the news report.
Sheen is the founder of "Because I Said I Would," a social movement dedicated to encouraging people to create positive changes in society and perform acts of kindness. The 10-day journey is a first for him and he told the news station the longest race he ever participated in was a 5K (3.1 miles).
Sheen asked that people make donations for his effort that will go to benefit the Cleveland Courage Fund, a trust fund established specifically for the rescued Cleveland women. Every $10 donation will be split 50/50 between the Cleveland Courage trust fund for Berry, DeJesus and Knight. The other 50 percent will help support RAINN, the largest anti-sexual violence organization in the United States.
Donations to the cause can be made here. Sheen's journey can be followed through the official Twitter account for his "Because I Said I Would' movement.
