A Philadelphia community activist is about six days away from completing a cross-country faith walk from Philadelphia to California, a journey he hopes will inspire others while raising money to build a trade school for children.<\/p>\n
Isaiah Thomas, better known as \u201cHMBL Zay<\/a>,\u201d began the walk in March and has logged nearly 3,000 miles. He has been livestreaming nearly every step on Twitch as he works toward raising $200,000 for the planned trade school in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n “What started out as the impossible in March will soon become reality,” Thomas told NBC10. <\/p>\n Thomas said he has stayed focused despite the physical demands of walking more than 30 miles a day.<\/p>\n “Honestly, I feel good. I’m waking up every day doing 30-plus miles,” he added<\/p>\n He also had a message for people who doubted he could complete the journey. “Anything is possible. I don’t hold it against anyone,” Thomas said.<\/p>\n The Nicetown clothing designer and community activist said the walk has tested him in unexpected ways. During the journey, he was hit by a car and hospitalized<\/a>, but he decided to continue after recovering.<\/p>\n “It’s something that’s crazy to do,” Thomas said. “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.”<\/p>\n Thomas said the mission has always been about creating opportunities for young people.<\/p>\n “I realized a lot of these kids have talents and gifts but need an opportunity,” he said. “So I took it upon myself to travel across the country to show people how serious I was about building this trade school.”<\/p>\n Thomas is currently in Arizona, where he was expected to cross into Needles, California, in the coming days as he closes in on the finish of his journey.<\/p>\n If you would like to support Thomas, head to\u00a0www.gofundme.com\/f\/help-launch-hmbl-summer-camp-for-teens<\/a>\u00a0to donate.<\/p>\n This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC Philadelphia. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC Philadelphia journalist edited the article for publication.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t