What to Know
- Yanise Ho is a 23-year-old girl rollerblading across the country without money or set places to stay.
- She started her journey in Miami over 3 months ago and plans to end in Los Angeles. Over 70 families have hosted her so far.
- She is donating money to charity One Girl Can, which helps girls in Uganda and Kenya finish secondary school and find jobs.
Imagine leaving home with no money, no friends with you and no idea where your next meal will come from. That’s what 23-year-old Yanise Ho is doing on her journey to rollerblade across America.
Her 40-pound backpack contains spare clothes, a laptop, a journal and toiletries but only a small bag of emergency food -- and no money. She is relying on other people to buy her meals and host her in their homes.
“The concept is really to tell the world that there is more good than bad. We shouldn’t focus on the negative things all the time,” she said.
Three months ago, Ho started in Miami, Florida and has a goal to travel 20 to 30 miles each day. She says there are some days she cannot reach her goal but she doesn’t get upset.
“I only live one day at a time. I plan one day at a time and next thing you know is you’ve already gone so far,” Ho said.
So far she has been hosted by over 70 families. Ho says she always meets the right people at the right times who open their homes to her or offer her a meal.
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“I love when they just give me their trust right away, open their doors and hearts for me and welcome me as their family member when they knew nothing about me,” she smiled.
On her first night of the trip she found herself in a park with a broken phone and no place to stay in Hollywood, Florida. She was approached by a seven-year-old boy who offered to bring her home and introduce her to his family, where they let her stay the night. Ho feels every day surprises her as if she’s in a movie.
Not only is she doing this to show the “kindness in the world” but also to raise money for the charity One Girl Can. A scholarship was created by her called #TheBladress Scholarship.
One Girl Can gives money to girls in Uganda and Kenya to help them finish secondary school and find jobs they love. Ho says the education these girls will get can empower them and change their lives.
“I have always been passionate about ending child marriage and I believe that education is the single most important key to end the vicious cycle,” Ho said. “This scholarship is really going to provide them an opportunity to learn about their potential and just give them a change to explore who they are.”
Ho is ending her cross-country journey in Los Angeles, California and you can track her live from her website.
“The whole journey I have been hosted by people from all walks of life really, like different races, different backgrounds, different orientations and I really feel that its love is love. There’s really no boundaries,” she said.
