Last year, Spencer West climbed Mount Kilimanjaro on his hands and using his wheelchair (Spencer is a double amputee). [caption id="attachment_15725" align="aligncenter" width="105"] This is Spencer. Who climbs mountains...and walks 4water! Photo, Me to We.[/caption]   Yesterday, he completed a 300-kilometre 11-day trek between Edmonton and Calgary.

“You don’t have to climb a mountain to make a difference – that’s why I’m challenging schools and communities in Alberta and across Canada to support me in this journey.” 

- Spencer West

Why? To raise awareness for Free the Children’s We Walk 4Water campaign to raise awareness and funds for clean water in Africa. During the dry season in Narok, Kenya, the average family lives 15 kilometres from clean water. Every day, people around the world spend 200 million hours collecting water – usually women and girls walking with heavy loads. And so, Spencer walked in solidarity with them, walking the distance to bring clean water to people all over the world. He challenged schools, families and businesses to raise $25 per person to support Free the Children’s Water Initiative, a year-long campaign to bring permanent sources of clean water to 100,000 people around the world. More than 1,000 kids and teachers joined Spencer in launching the water walk on May 6.  People like Nelly Furtado and Craig Kielburger joined him for parts of the walk, and Spencer and his team visited local schools, holding rallies to kick off their own We Walk 4Water fundraising efforts. He was exhausted. But he did it, and inspired others to join him in this cause. So today, Spencer is my hero. How about you? Do you have a hero?