How far would you go to help raise money for your favorite non-profit? 2,181 miles? That’s how far Auburn alum Charlie Timberlake and Vanderbilt alum Randy Wright went.

The pair decided at Christmas of last year they were going to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail in order to raise money for CURE Childhood Cancer, the NESA Scholarship Fund and Lovett Troop #304 in memory of Cam Street.

Street was diagnosed with a rare cancer, Ewing’s Sarcoma, while in the sixth grade. Ewing’s Sarcoma has an initial cure rate of 80 percent, but with each recurrence drops to seven percent and eventually zero. When Street’s cancer returned, his family knew that the chances of survival were very low.

Street’s final wish was to become an Eagle Scout—just as Timberlake and Wright were. Normally, the process to become an Eagle Scout is a drawn-out process but Cam’s paperwork was pushed through within a week. As Street was extremely sick and bedridden, his Eagle Scout ceremony was held as a conference call at his bedside.

Timberlake was one of the many people who called in to congratulate Street on his achievement, and tell him how incredibly proud they were. “When it was my turn to tell him how proud I was of him, “ Timberlake recounts, “he told me I was one of the reasons he wanted to be an Eagle Scout…it took every bit I had not to start crying right that moment.”

Street passed away in November of 2009, within a month of his Eagle Scout ceremony. Timberlake never forgot what Cam had said to him on the phone that day—he decided, along with Wright, that they had to do something in Cam Street’s memory. Something to help prevent losing more incredibly children like Cam, to help the National Eagle Scout Association (NESA) Scholarship Fund which helped achieve Street’s final wish, and to help the Lovett Troop #304 who supported the Street family, and lost a dear friend.

Timberlake and Wright set out in April of this year to hike from Georgia to Maine in order to raise money in the form of donations and pledges, contingent on the pair completing the 2,181 mile adventure. Through hot weather, hurricanes and illness—they kept on and reached the end of the trail at the top of Mt. Katahdin this past Thursday, September15, at 12:15 p.m.

So far, they have raised over $13,000 for the three charities through their website www.hikeforcam.org—they will close down the website for donations and pledges October 1.