KC veteran running 20 miles with 50 lbs on his back to fight homelessness

By Joseph Hennessy and Shain Bergan

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    KANSAS CITY, Missouri (KCTV) — A local Army veteran is running 20 miles with 50 pounds on his back on Veteran’s Day to spread awareness on homelessness.

Clay Daniels is on the ReStart, Inc., Board of Directors. Based downtown, Restart is providing Kansas City’s less fortunate and most vulnerable population with housing and resources.

Daniels is an Army Major veteran, a Green Beret and former football player at West Point. He’s now the Service President at U.S. Engineering. He has a compassion for veterans who are homeless, and hopes to spread awareness through his trek on the streets for the third straight year.

Daniels’ run last year had him running 40 miles with 40 pounds to raise $40,000 goal for ReStart’s 40th year of service. He beat that by more than $20,000. This year, he’s going to try for another $20,000 in fundraising.

“I think bringing awareness to that problem and getting a lot of problem solvers out there that can help support an organization like ReStart, that’s really at the center of trying to solve that problem, is very important,” Daniels said.

ReStart serves all homeless populations, including singles, families, individuals with mental health illnesses, LGBTQ+, unaccompanied youth, and veterans.

The organization has 12 locations, 10 in Missouri and three in Kansas. They help around 400 people each day through prevention, outreach and shelter by addressing barriers to housing through services like case management, street outreach and employment services.

“Ultimately, Kansas City is our town, and if we can empower them to solve this problem, and on top of that, if we can get other people to do something similar towards their passion, their goals—I think that’s really what I’m trying to accomplish,” said Daniels.

Daniels running route, seen here, starts at the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection at 137th Street and Briar Street, then goes north along Roe Avenue, east along 133rd Street, then north again along State Line Road, Ward Parkway, Wornall Road, Broadway Boulevard, Wyandotte Street, Main Street, Grand Boulevard and Locust Street, before ending east on East Ninth Street at ReStart, near Harrison Street.

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