Cross-country trekker touts Kiwanis

Donning a black suit and carrying an overstuffed backpack Jester Jersey walked his way into Iola Monday afternoon.
Jersey, a 28-year-old Davis, Calif., Kiwanis member, is walking across the United States on behalf of Kiwanis International to raise awareness about the dangers of tetanus, a bacterial disease that steals the lives of nearly 49,000 infants and a significant number or women every year. It is Jersey’s wish to also raise funds for vaccines in the fight to end tetanus altogether.
Typically, infants in the United States receive the tetanus vaccine in a three-dose series as part of the Tdap vaccines. Adults should get a tetanus booster shot every 10 years.
The idea to walk across the country came from a former Kiwanis member, Matt Mattingly. Mattingly walked from the Statue of Liberty in New York City to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco in 1990 for the Kiwanis’ 75th anniversary. Along the way he kept a log and sent correspondence to his family back home. In 1998, he published “The Long Walk Home,” of his journey.
The book made its way into the hands of the avid reader Jersey. A proofreader by trade, Jersey devoured the book. His interest in joining his local Kiwanis chapter grew quickly. Once he joined, he began planning his own walk for the 100th anniversary celebration.
“I wanted to pay homage to him and promote this program,” he said. “It’s not about me.”
On May 18, Jersey left California and took a three-day train ride across the country. He began his journey on May 22 from Lady Liberty.
“Mattingly arrived back on Sept. 8 so he could celebrate his wedding anniversary,” Jersey said. “I’m hoping to make it home the first week of September to celebrate my birthday with my family.”
In the book, Mattingly notes meeting an Iola Register reporter while he walked along the highway. The reporter picked him up and took him back to the newsroom to interview him. Jersey wanted to make sure he stopped by the newsroom during his adventure as well. He actually made it to Iola from Fort Scott a day earlier than he had planned.
“I try to stop in diners and places he visited just to see if anyone remembers him,” Jersey said.
Along the way Jersey has attended Kiwanis meetings to speak with fellow members and spread the word about his cause. He stayed three days in Indianapolis to serve as his club’s delegate at the Kiwanis National Convention.
“My challenges in my travel have been when I come to unfamiliar places,” he said. “I have run into law enforcement asking what I’m doing but they are understanding when I explain. Many people stop and offer me water or a ride to the next gas station.”
In each town Kiwanis members have helped find him a place to stay. Iola Kiwanis member Mike Ford said they found Jersey a place for Monday night in town and put him up in a hotel in Yates Center Tuesday. Jersey tries to update his family and followers regularly by stopping in businesses that have Wi-Fi.
“I usually stop by a McDonald’s, eat some fries, grab a soda, and rest for a bit while I use my computer,” he said.
In California service clubs are very popular, he said. Some of the clubs he had originally planned to visit have disbanded due to lack of participation.
“Young people are moving to the cities and service clubs are slowly dying in rural communities,” he said. Churches in the Midwest, however, take precedence. “I attend a Nazarene church but I noticed churches here are a lot bigger,” he said.
To follow Jersey’s travels go to Twitter @DavisKiwanian or send him an email at sand_surfer@live.com.