10/09/13  Two-and-a- half years ago Armand Young walked through Plymouth on his way from San Diego to Ground Zero in New York City with a bamboo pole that had more than 200,000 signatures and a wish to help the world.

This week, he is back in Plymouth on his way back to California with more than 555,000 signatures and a continued mission to help others.

  His wish is to spread acts of kindness in memory of fallen firefighters, police and emergency personnel. Not only is he doing acts of kindness, but he encourages those he has met along the way to accept his challenge.  For every pledge of an act of kindness he gets, he asks individuals to sign the flags that decorate the bamboo pole he carries with him.

On Tuesday afternoon he said, “My hope is to get 1 million signatures.”

This has been a multi-yeared journey, that he calls the Human Kindness Walk.  Young has found homes for 419 families and feed over 5,000.   He has helped people who are homeless find housing arrangements and jobs by getting the community involved.  While in Plymouth on his first trip he helped a single mom with kids find a temporary home until she could get back on her feet.  He also found her a job but she didn’t follow through.  That hurts him knowing that people are willing to help and give and when they do, their generosity is not accepted. 

So far, he said, he’s been able to help 419 families find housing and while he doesn’t ask for money, any money he is given during the walk is given to the homeless men and women he meets on his walk, or is donated to needy causes.

During the walk across the United States Armand has walked right through seven pairs of shoes, accepted food and shelter from strangers and been able to see so much good in people.  He said he wants to change the world with a simple act of kindness. 

Armand has his bamboo walking pole that now weighs 49 pounds.  He carries the pole that is loaded with 149 flags that have the signatures of those who committed to doing an act of kindness within a 24 hour period.  It also has mementoes from various fire department, and personal items from the victims who were killed at Ground Zero.

Young said that anyone who would like to walk with him or make a pledge to do an act of kindness can access his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/armand.young.7.