In every zip code in America, the people of The Salvation Army are dedicated to Doing the Most Good.
This holiday season, I'm honored to have the opportunity to use social media to introduce you to many of those heroes -- in our own neighborhoods.
Beginning next week, I'll be partnering with The Salvation Army to bring you the Fight For Good Tour, a 25-state road trip designed to highlight the decisions that people living in poverty must make every day -- and how The Salvation Army helps meet need in communities across the U.S.
The trip kicks off Nov. 6 in Houston -- a community recovering from the devastating effects of Hurricane Harvey this August.
From there, we'll head north, through the nation's spine, to Minneapolis, and turn east, towards Milwaukee, Chicago and Detroit.
We'll head back south, spending Thanksgiving in Louisville, and reach the Gulf Coast with stops in Biloxi, Miss., and New Orleans.
Finally, we'll set sights back to the Northeast, with stops along the I-85 corridor, before making it back to New York City on Dec. 14.
The full, 25-state itinerary will be available on my donation page at SalvationArmyUSA.org, and you'll be able to follow every aspect of the journey with me on my various social media channels. I'll post a video recap of each visit on my YouTube channel at youtube.com/user/chrisstrub and Facebook page, Facebook.com/TeamStrub . You can also follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and Swarm, @ChrisStrub, but most importantly, make sure you're subscribed on YouTube . See my introduction here.
I sincerely hope this trek sparks a nationwide conversation about what poverty in America truly looks like, as well as the good work taking place in our communities every day. Keep in touch with me the whole way through on social media by tagging me @ChrisStrub -- I'm always accessible, especially on Twitter . Be sure to use the hashtag #FightForGood and #FightForGoodTour. I encourage you to please make a donation through my Red Kettle donation page here; my goal is to raise at least $25,000 by Dec. 14.
And how did this trip come to be? In the summer of 2015, I visited 50 states in 100 days, and volunteered with youth-related nonprofits in all 50 states. You can learn more about that trip in my book, ' 50 States, 100 Days: The Book. ' The full list of cities I've visited and organizations I've worked with is available on my website here. Since the trip ended, I’ve worked with Humana on their Bold Goal initiative; co-hosted this summer’s BBBSA National Conference; and helped Louisville raise $4.6 million on their annual community-wide day of giving. (Check out my blog across the top of my home page for more.) So when The Salvation Army contacted me about joining the Fight For Good this holiday season, I knew right away that the Fight was on!
Who exactly am I? My name's Chris Strub, a 32-year-old native Long Islander who's lived in both Greenville, S.C., and Louisville. I graduated from Binghamton University in 2007 (Go Bearcats), and have spent the decade since building newspapers, kneading pizza dough and moving back and forth between Greenville, S.C, Louisville, and upstate New York. In January, I launched 'I Am Here LLC' and have spent most of 2017 traveling the U.S. speaking about social media. I love meeting new people, seeing new places and living life to the fullest, and I’m a big fan of the Chicago Cubs and Dallas Cowboys.
My truest passion, though, is bringing attention to those in need, and I couldn't possibly be more excited to partner with The Salvation Army to kick off the #FightForGood Tour on Monday, Nov. 6.
Please take a second and share this link out on social media, use hashtag #FightForGood, feel free to tag me ... and stay tuned -- much more to come!
<<<FULL ITINERARY>>>
-Dates Subject to Change-
Nov. 6 - Day 1, State 1 - Houston
Nov. 8 - Day 3, State 2 - Oklahoma City
Nov. 9 - Day 4, State 3 - Independence, MO
Nov. 10 - Day 5, State 4 - Des Moines
Nov. 13 - Day 8, State 5 - Minneapolis, MN
Nov. 14 - Day 9, State 6 - Milwaukee
Nov. 15 - Day 10, State 7 - Chicago
Nov. 17 - Day 12, State 8 - Detroit
Nov. 20 - Day 15, State 9 - Indianapolis
Nov. 22 - Day 17, State 10 - Cincinnati
Nov. 23 - Day 18, State 11 - Louisville
Nov. 24 - Day 19, State 12 - Memphis
Nov. 25 - Day 20, State 13 - Little Rock, AR
Nov. 27 - Day 22, State 14 - Jackson, MS
Nov. 28 - Day 23, State 15 - New Orleans
Nov. 30 - Day 25, State 16 - Birmingham, AL
Dec. 1 - Day 26, State 17 - Atlanta
Dec. 4 - Day 29, State 18 - Jacksonville
Dec. 5 - Day 30, State 19 - Greenville, SC
Dec. 6 - Day 31, State 20 - Charlotte
Dec. 7 - Day 32, State 21 - Alexandria, VA
Dec. 8 - Day 33, State 22 - Baltimore
Dec. 9 - Day 34, State 23 - Wilmington, DE
Dec. 12 - Day 37, State 24 - Philadelphia
Dec. 13 - Day 38, State 25 - New York City