Bend woman completes walk around the world to benefit, inspire other women
Dozens of others join in last mile of Angela Maxwell's inspiring journey
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- A walk around the world, spanning 13 countries and 20,000 miles, came to a close Sunday in Bend, as others joined in the last mile of Angela Maxwell’s inspiring journey.
“I wanted to see the world at a snail's pace," she said. "I wanted to see what it was like to really immerse myself in different people."
Maxwell started her trip nearly seven years ago. The goal in traveling around the world was to raise $20,000 to benefit the Her Future Coalition.
“That is focused on giving women and girls shelters and education that have been saved from sex trafficking and gender violence," Maxwell said.
Maxwell’s journey would bring many wonderful experiences, but also lead her down some dark places.
“I did face one of the worst fears we could have, and I did have a attack in Mongolia," she recalled. "And I gave a Ted talk about what it was like to have that fear come true."
While there was courage in taking such a solo trip, on Sunday, she was joined by dozens of supportive community members in Bend, back to the place where she originally began her journey.
The last-mile walk participants gathered at noon at REI in the Old Mill and finished at The Commons Cafe and Taproom about an hour later.
It was an electrifying morning, as she exchanged hugs with old friends and received much praise for her bravery and determination to finish the impressive feat.
Ultimately, she said, she hopes her journey will inspire other women.
"I believe we all are more confident and stronger than we believe," Maxwell said. "That's one of the things I learned on the road, is that we are more capable, were stronger, were more courageous than we give ourselves credit for.
"So across the world, I recognize that no matter what particularly women face, we are more courageous than we can possibly give ourselves credit for," she added.
To learn more: https://www.shewalkstheearth.com/
