MN Man Walking to Miami to Raise Money for Haiti

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - How would you handle not being able to find work? One local man decided to change gears and help himself by helping others.
He plans to make a big difference by doing some walking. A lot of walking.

Just a couple of months ago, Jordan Dibb would have chosen working over walking.

“I really thought I would have a job by now,” he says.
"I'm doing about three to five a day-- to just kind of get the blister out of the way."

After graduating from Hamline University with a degree in psychology and sociology last May. He planned on working as a counselor.

"I started counting all the resumes and applications filled out and sent,” he says. “It was over 12-hundred."

The rejection over Jordan’s lack of experience didn’t end there. He couldn’t even get a job in a yogurt or coffee shop. He was told he needed experience.
When the Haiti earthquake hit in January, Jordan thought he’d volunteer to help down there. He called aid organizations and they told him the same thing. He needed experience- which he didn’t have. But his 30th rejection was actually inspiring.

"I just said, 'Look lady, what do I need to do to get down there to help? How can I get down there?' And she said, 'You can always walk.' And she hung up the phone on me."

Jordan liked the idea. So he decided to raise 100 thousand dollars for “Action Against Hunger.” He was going to walk to Miami. Florida.

"Closest I could get to walking to Haiti," he says.

To get ready for the 1800 mile hike, he now spends much of his time walking the lakes in south Minneapolis. Walking five miles a day, five to six days a week doesn't sound very exciting. So, to keep Jordan motivated for his walking and his fund-raising, often times, he's not out here alone."

Some mornings it’s his dog, Pancakes, friends and family or even church groups. They’re all helping support his effort. When we met up with him, his roommate, Katie, was joining him for the day’s walk.

"It's such an amazing plan,” she says. “I think it has the potential to be so great, and I really admire him for what he's doing."

Jordan says the support is important.

"It's definitely motivation, you know, it's all support and it just helps strengthen my resolve."

Jordan is using his website to invite people to join him for a mile or two along his journey (iwalkforlove.com). But he says most of his steps will be alone, with the people of Haiti on his mind and how the money raised will help them. He chose to support “Action Against Hunger’ for a reason.

"Clean food, clean water, setting up clean latrines. You know, creating farmland. Both short-term and long-term solutions to food and water."

All of that from rejection, unemployment and resolve.

Jordan is planning to start his journey Saturday, March 27th. He’s planning to walk about 20 miles a day. He’s still looking for motivation and invites anyone from the community to come walk with him and his dog.

Find Jordan on his Facebook page or his Twitter account , where he posts when he will be walking.

Learn more about his journey on his website , too. 

For more no the charity, Action Against Hunger, you can visit Jordan’s fundraising page .

Stay tuned to FOX 9 News as we bring you updates from Jordan's journey to Miami.