The Philadelphia streamer and community activist used his sometimes-harrowing journey to raise nearly $200,000 for a planned trade school.
Streamer HMBL Zay has finished a nearly 3,000-mile walk from Philadelphia to California.
The 27-year-old streamer, whose real name is Isaiah Thomas, completed his 124-day cross-country journey on Monday (July 27).
“Three thousand miles on foot through the desert, through the mountains, through the sundown towns, got hit by new cars. Anything is possible,” Zay said in a video standing in front of the California state sign.
He continued, “It’s not about me. God used me as a vessel to show the world to show the youth that anything is possible. When they laugh at you, when they tell you that you can’t do something, you got to believe in yourself. Everything that we went through to lead to this moment, four months on the road sacrificing day in day out.”
Just 34 days after beginning his journey, Zay was walking with a car trailing behind him as a safety barrier when another car rear-ended it. The impact caused Zay and his equipment to be hit by the “safety” car. Emergency crews then transported him to a local hospital.
Days before completing the journey, Zay told NBC Philadelphia that the walk was intended to inspire others and help raise money to build a trade school for kids. Despite being hit by a car, he explained why he was determined to keep going.
“It’s something that’s crazy to do,” Thomas told the station. “I just understood the vision behind it, even when I got hit by the car, and a lot of people telling me to stop for my own safety.”
He added, “I realized a lot of these kids have talents and gifts but need an opportunity. So I took it upon myself to travel across the country to show people how serious I was about building this trade school.”
Zay’s GoFundMe page has raised over $154,000 in donations out of a $200,000 goal. Per the page, money will be used to create HMBL University and the HMBL Summer Camp, which will provide access to trade certifications and skills to high school graduates.
