Walking 4,400 miles to promote foster care reforms

Glenn Koster is nearing the finish line.

Since the beginning of last year, Koster has spent six days a week battling the wind, rain, snow and sometimes lightning as he slowly makes his way across the country, walking to raise awareness for those in the foster care system in America. Once his five-week trek thorough Big Sky Country is done, Koster will have just 380 miles and four weeks to go to reach the Pacific Ocean and his goal.

Abandoned by his family at age 6, Koster had a rough time in the foster care system in the 1960s and says many still face the same difficulties he did as a young child.

“Things haven’t gotten a lot better since I went through the system 50 years ago and I am hoping I can draw some attention to that,” he said.

Koster’s journey across America began in South Miami Beach on Feb. 1, 2018 and he walked 2,554 miles to Nebraska before health issues and mechanical problems with the motor home (driven by his wife, Charlcie) that accompanies him forced the trip to be put on hold in July.

Koster picked up right where he left off on May 18 of this year and has been walking nearly 22 miles per day, except Sundays, ever since.

Koster says he has seen some amazing sights along the way, but especially enjoyed the badlands of North Dakota and seeing the Rockies once again. He has also picked up some interesting souvenirs along the roadside, including a number of license plates, money, stuffed animals and almost a full set of wrenches and various screwdrivers.

When he is done, Koster will have walked across 16 states, accumulating 4,400 miles and more than 9 million steps. He points out that 4,400 miles is slightly more than the sum of the shortest distances across the United States from east to west and north to south. He chose the route purposely to show that adoption and foster care reform is a nationwide problem.

For more information about Koster’s journey or to learn more about his cause, visit www.Facebook.com/ksCharityStepts.