Northern Virginia teen hopes hike will inspire, help Central Texas flood victims

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (DC News Now) — One local teen hopes an upcoming hike will help hundreds of families whose lives were upended after the deadly Texas floods, and he’s putting his best foot forward to achieve his goals.

Alex Thielman may be enjoying his summer months before classes resume at Gonzaga College High School this fall, but he’s also spending time leading a nonprofit with eyes set on raising money for Texas residents to recover and rebuild.

“If you feel like you can’t do much, there’s still something you can do. Then, you should go out and do it to the best of your ability,” Thielman told DC News Now Thursday.

Thielman is behind a hiking group and non-profit known as Mercy Trails, which works to host hiking events nationwide to give back to those in need; previously collecting backpacks full of school supplies in advance of hikes, as well as new coats and food donations.

“We want to help teenagers to empower to help others in their community, whether that be homeless or victims of flooding, as in, like it did in Texas. Really, anyone that is suffering,” Thielman said.

Do-gooders in the DMV continue lending help to Texas flood victims, including D.C.-based World Central Kitchen, and two swift water rescue teams in Virginia, who were deployed to the Lone Star State.

Thielman’s hike Saturday morning, slated to start at the Old Town Alexandria Waterfront, is part of a multi-day fundraising effort to support the Kerr County Flood Relief Fund in Texas, which is backed by the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country.

More information on Saturday’s hike can be found on the Mercy Trails website.