Serving others, one step at a time

Glenn Koster wanted to take steps to live a healthier lifestyle and aid some charitable organizations to boot.
So he’s taking 450 miles worth of steps.
Koster passed through Iola Monday morning as part of his Charity Steps campaign.
His goal is to make it from Eve, Mo. — he departed Saturday morning — to Holly, Colo., on Aug. 22.
The Aug. 22 deadline also marks Koster’s 60th birthday.
He also aims to visit with townspeople along the way, with the hopes of finding local volunteers to walk alongside each day.
“I’ve got a few blisters on my feet, but it’s not too bad,” he said during a rest stop between Iola and Piqua. “You’re going to get some aches and pains. You just know that there is an end to the day, and knowing that I’m trying to do this for a bigger purpose.”
The trek is the culmination of a major lifestyle change for Koster which began in 2011, when he shed more than 60 pounds — roughly 25 percent of his total body weight — and took up walking.
Realizing his 60th birthday was rapidly approaching, Koster decided in 2012 he wanted to walk across the state.
He decided to test himself in 2014 by walking from Oklahoma to Nebraska, averaging more than 18 miles a day.
A bout with Graves’ disease over the winter slowed his progress some, but he’s now fully recovered and ready to go.

KOSTER’S dream is to raise $60,000 to be split evenly among four central Kansas charities — Reins of Hope, Big Brothers Big Sisters, First Call for Help and Heart-to-Heart.
He hopes to find supporters along his trip willing to donate a dollar or two. Koster also is donating 10 cents for every mile he has walked since August 2013.
Koster recounted meeting an elderly gentleman in Moran Sunday, who saw him walking and stopped to see if he needed assistance.
After Koster explained his effort, the man handed over a $20 bill.
“It just goes to show that there are plenty of good people in Kansas,” he said.
The central Kansas community is important to Koster, a reporter for the Harvey County Independent in Halstead. (He also works for Eaton Corporation in Hutchinson.)
His path will take him past Hutchinson.
“The neat thing is, the last three years I’ve covered everything for the city of Bentley for the paper,” he said. “The fire department there will join me for a relay while I’m there. It’ll be pretty cool.”

JOINING Koster are his wife, Charlcie, and his son, Glenn Jr.
Charlcie drives his support vehicle, a used motorhome he found while he was walking from Oklahoma to Nebraska last summer.
“It drives great,” he said. “It doesn’t have any water, and it doesn’t have any propane because of leaks in the lines.
“But for what we need, the air conditioner works great. We turn on the generator and get a nice cool spot to rest. That’s another reason why the heat doesn’t bother us.”
Koster hedges slightly.
“I can walk hot or cold, but right now I’m praying for cold,” he joked.
Glenn Jr., who lives in College Station, Texas, will travel with his father for the first week before returning home.
“His story is unique in itself,” Koster said of his son. “A year ago, he couldn’t even walk. Had some nerve problems in his legs, and couldn’t move. Now, he’s here walking with me.”
“I’m thankful I’m only doing it for a week,” Glenn Jr. said.

ANY MENTAL barriers Koster may encounter along the way are quickly erased when his thoughts return to the charities he’s supporting.
“Charity Steps is stepping up to a higher calling,” he said. “I can do this knowing I’m not doing this for me. I take a lot of pictures, catch a lot of things I would miss otherwise.”
Koster’s progress can be monitored via his Charity Steps Facebook page.