February 1, 2010

Eric Sheets Carries on His Miles of Smiles Forever
Microsoft Contacts Eric

By Eric Sheets
and Sheila Baltzell
A Parkway graduate of 1996, Eric Sheets, son of Steve and Crystal Sheets of Rockford, embarked on a journey to visit Microsoft Founder and Philanthropist, Bill Gates over a year and a half ago on Memorial Day 2008 (see picture left). Eric, with his loaded pack donkey, 14 year old Moses, and his packed down black and tan coon hound dog, Buck, began his walk after the annual Rockford Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony in Rockford .  Shouldering a pack himself, Eric heard our community wishing him well, but wondering at the bare feet he sported.  Eric’s mission was defined in that moment.  "Our education system is exactly like walking barefoot, slow and painful and no longer progress for today's society."  His barefoot adventure to date has taken him over 1700 miles through the heartlands of Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, and through one harsh winter.

Eric is currently traveling through Colorado and has made it to Dinosaur, 3 miles from Utah.  2009 has been a great year for the traveling trio.  With perfect timing the trio were able to partake in two Nationally Historic parades.  The Nebraskaland Days has been taking place at the end of June in North Platte, Nebraska since 1968 and entices 100,000 people to the area every year.  The Cheyenne Frontier Days Parade in Cheyenne, Wyoming has been taking place annually at the end of July since 1897 and drawing 300,000 people. It is the largest outdoor rodeo and western event in the world.  “To have this walk work out to the point to afford us a once in a lifetime opportunity, is simply amazing!!!  There are hundreds of miles between North Platte and Cheyenne and to trek the distance just how the old west was settled, is like waking up to a dream.  It is such a honor to be allowed to walk in these monumental parades past thousands and thousands of people.  Everyone had heard about us either in the papers, the radio, or seen us on TV.  When they saw us come marching by, they stood up in masses to give the three of us standing ovations throughout the whole parade route.  There were kids, elderly, every age and race all coming out into the street to get pictures with the 3 of us, give us hugs, shake my hand, pet Moses and Buck, and to offer sincere appreciative thanks.  It is better than being famous.  This kind of joy can only be felt from experiencing the support of thousands of people who are from all over the world.  If there are this many in one place who love us and believe in the need to change this education program, then there has to be millions more out there that are willing to tackle the imperative necessity to revamp our entire education system immediately,” said Eric.

The traveling trio has met thousands upon thousands of people all along the way on this determination filled trek.  They have sparked inspiration within people all across this country to stand up and help shoulder whatever it takes to relieve the greatest burden upon our society.  "It is going on 2 years since we left Rockford, but progress cannot be measured in mere miles," he said.  “There are so many people out here who are concerned with this education system and everyone knows it needs overhauled.  Once they find out what I am trying to do, they offer their help anyway they can.”  His purpose is to introduce a unique multi-age educational tool that would be displayed on an interactive touch screen i.e phone, computer.  Just like signing into email or Facebook accounts, the proposed ever growing knowledge based program will be loaded with a user’s information including biographical details and interests.  "As you would watch TV, your individual device will simply display 3 trivia facts of knowledge.  Out of the 3 subjects displayed, you would select which one you would like to learn more about.  For example, a child would watch Sesame Street and when Bert and Ernie say "A, B, 1, 2" the child would select appropriately.  If the child answers correctly, it goes on.  If the child has problems, then it will go back through and try to give the child a broader based foundation.”  While a child watches any cartoon then, he would be learning the fundamentals of something new that interests him.  They would constantly be feeding their natural inquisitiveness.  You figure every child, including us, constantly asked adults the questions of “Why? Why? Why? Why?” 

“Then when we went to school, we were all told to sit there real quiet, calm and still because we were all going to learn about “this” right here, right now.  This is completely different than how we spent our first 5 years growing up and different than how we learn every waking second outside of the classroom.  How could we ever hope for good knowledge retention or expansion if we continue to force kids into a backwards system?” 

“With this learning program, once a child gets to Kindergarten, their first teacher would know exactly what each individual child understands.  “Do they have their letters?  Do they have their numbers?”  This program combines audio, visual, 3D world manipulation, and voice recognition.  So if someone is dyslexic, autistic, or even ADHD, this program will work with you not only to conquer any learning disabilities, but it will enhance every learning ability.  So just as a child would watch a children’s show, or an adult would watch any other show “Ideal Learning” would interact with the viewer to introduce new relevant interesting material,” said Eric.

 “It grows with you and keeps offering new material to the user, therefore creating an instant and constant learning environment," said Eric.  "The most crucial aspect about this educational tool is that it must be given away for free.  If we cannot afford to get to college, how will kids be able?  Education is supposed to help us take better care of ourselves, our families, our neighbors, society as a whole, not bury us in debt for years upon years.  If we charge $40 a month to get on this learning network, we will cut our throats and not even reach those who need the most help.  Technology is increasing exponentially, and the population isn't slowing down either.  What do we do in a few years when the semi-trucks are GPS'd up and down the road without a driver?  There are far many more millions upon millions who drive truck than ever worked for the auto industry, and we know what happens to the economy when that fraction of the population lost their jobs.  It has to come to education, not vocation.  When you are 55, you can't afford 3 years of college let alone 10 years.  This educational tool will be used as a "credential" when you show up at a job market as you will be able to prove your strengths, interests, and adaptability so that you can ask for a job that fulfills you, not just one you stand around and fill.  Plus the majority of ones committing crimes are uneducated.  The more we can reach out to them and get them thinking about something new, the less likely they will pick up a gun, rob, rape, or pillage.  The farther education gets out of reach, the more "have not's" we are going to have.  Which makes all of us unsafe regardless of our own education or wealth" says Sheets.  The best part he likes about his learning program though is how it will bring comfort to the elderly.  "It will know when and where we are born at and show us something all day long about the things that happened while we grew up to help trigger our long term memories.  It will gradually revert back to memory matching skills and number games, but the mind is a muscle if you don't use it, you lose it."

Eric Hears from the Microsoft Team 

Back in July while Eric was in Cheyenne, Wyoming Microsoft called him up directly to talk about his Ideal Learning program.  The head of product development said "Microsoft is a profitable company and to develop a learning program to give away for free doesn't match our business model.  You need to start your own nonprofit company and then Microsoft can be a charitable partner with you.  Then you can hire your own programmers and give away your program for free if that's how you see fit"  Although the mountain he was climbing grew by millions of steps in that instant to create a company, the best thing he heard from the largest computer company in the world was, it is a good idea, and it is completely possible to do.

For the next month he put the word out that he was looking for a business lawyer wanting to be a part of history.  Sure enough, through meeting a guy at a Burger King as he walked past with Moses, he now has a business lawyer out of Oklahoma City who loves what he is trying to do and wants to be a part of it and has offered his services for free.  Now through guidance of his lawyer he needed to get a CPA on board, and once again he has met just the right people at just the right time, as he has a CPA out of Steamboat Springs, Colorado (see pic at left) who has offered her services for free and is taking care of writing up all of the nonprofit papers.

Eric is a Christian and runs a website and facebook account on his adventures in Christ on this journey.  "I used to work many  jobs and sometimes 2 at a time.  I used to think I worked very hard for my nice car, motorcycle, and toys, but that's all I worked for.  I would try to forget my day before it began.  I would try to forget next week before this week even started.  Now I work harder than I ever have before in my life, but the things I get to do now working on this side of the "fence" are above and beyond dreams.  I am driving race cars at a track in Iowa, to riding horse back in the real old west. Seeing this beautiful country every step of the way is amazing, and then most of all creating life long friends all over this great nation is unforgettable!"

Eric knows he is in the grace of the Lord and has met with and encountered every act of kindness along the way.  "It took me nearly year of building houses to save up for all the equipment.  June 9th 2007, I said I was walking to Seattle barefoot for this education program.  At first I was just going to go, but then I knew I was only going to do this once so let's do it right the first time.  I took a million steps before I took the first one west.  Now I have the satellite tracker, gps, solar panel, laptop, HD cameras, battery backups, and every piece of camping gear to be self reliant.  Out of all those extra labor-some hours, the hardest thing to do when you know what you are going to do, I discovered, is to wait to do it.  Many of times I tried to set a date to go, but when that date came, I knew it wasn't quite right.  Such a gut check it is to distinguish between cold feet, laziness, and just not the right time to go yet.  The gut is like a tool though, the more you use it the better you become at going with it and not against it.  Even with all the scrounging, saving, and investing everything I had into this, I still only had $30.00 in my pocket when I left Rockford, OH.  Most would say and did say, ‘It can't be done.  It is foolish.  You will never make it on that or like that.’  Now I know if you wait for someone to tell you that you can do "it", you will be waiting a very long time, and actually longer than what it would have taken you to just get up and do "it".”

He uses the solar panels on Moses’ back to charge his computer, digital camera and cell phone daily where he keeps his site updated with pictures and journaling. He does the same with his Facebook account.

Currently, Eric is living out another dream and is wintering over in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, otherwise known as “Ski Town USA”.  He has been given a job at the resort that comes with a free season pass to ski the 2^nd largest ski resort in the country anytime he wishes.  “I figured out you don’t fish in the desert and if you want to get a shot at hanging a big game trophy on the wall, you have to go where the big game roam.  The plethora of people funneling into this area everyday from around the world is phenomenal.  There is something about the snow covered peaks all around us that lift people’s heads up as well as their spirits.  I have met more millionaires in the last few weeks than I ever knew existed.  These are the people that we need to get this in front of to help put it all together.  Fortunately they have heard about us and believe in this educational program and are willing to offer their support,” Eric shared.

He has thousands of miles to go, but he doesn't worry about it, “ . . . as you can only take one step at a time,” he says.  He has been featured 14 times on numerous TV channels including every major news network, as well as a huge featured piece on PBS.  He was even a guest on a TV good morning show in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.  “It was like game day.  My mouth was dry, my lips were sticking to my teeth, and it felt like I was talking through a funnel as I sat there on that leather couch talking to the host about all of this.  I loved it.  Such an honor it is to receive this kind of respect everywhere we go.”  He also has graced the front page of 55 plus newspapers, including the front page of the Omaha World Herald with 4 million a day circulation.  He is featured on the radio in every town they walk through and is even a weekly guest on a show hosted in San Diego. 

He is extremely excited to meet with Bill and Melinda Gates of the Gates Foundation who have been instrumental in the school reform movement to the tune of $200 million a year in the form of grants to elementary and secondary education.  In recent months, their foundation is working to influence education policy at the federal level where billions of dollars in grants are distributed to overhaul public schools. 

Eric is very upfront and blunt that the focus on this journey should not be on the ending destination, but the people who have eased his steps along the way. They are helping me to help all." says Sheets.  "This program is for the people and it is the people who have made it all possible and who continue to help conquer the impossible.  This education program is a tool that will help one and all, but what we all must remember is that all of us have a tool right now to help alleviate our own problems, each other’s problems and our nation’s problems.  We see it, our neighbors see it, the question is do you just sit on the bench and watch, or do you get up, get out here, sweat blood, get dirty, grimace through the pain and be willing to do whatever it takes to solve these problems?  I do.  I will.  Will you?" challenges Eric.

The website is www.milesofsmilesforever.com while his www.Facebook.com name is "Eric Sheets", and he invites you to follow his journey and communicate with him.

Making west bound ground in the super sticky humid heat across Iowa.  You never really notice how green and fertile it is across Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa until you are in the dry arid west.
I never knew there were so many frogs in Iowa.  In the valley of every rolling hill is a creek and the frogs flourish.  You never quite understood the saying “Stepped on a frog.” Until you step on a frog barefoot in the middle of the night while other frogs continue to jump and bump into your legs all night long.
Back when the west was settled, forging rivers was a daily hassle that had to be contended with.  We camped out on the North Platte River on the east side of North Platte, Nebraska.  The Platte River system starts in Colorado, goes up through Wyoming and on through Nebraska to the Missouri River on the Nebraska/Iowa border.   The west would have been nearly impossible to settle and pretty much useless without the Platte River as it still is the main supply of fresh water lakes, canals, and extensive irrigation networks that helps keep America fed.  So just as the pioneers did, we walked across the river bank to bank.  The water is fairly shallow averaging to be only 3ft deep.
Here we are bringing the famous North Platte, Nebraskaland Days Parade to an end.  The parade went on for over 4 miles and I was awestruck to keep walking past so many thousands of people that stood up tall out of their chairs to cheer for us as we came smiling past.
Nebraskaland Days, June 11-21, 2009
You would be surprised to find out where you can hide a dog and a donkey.  We pretty much call “squatters rights” where ever we stop as most of the time no one is around to ask.  A lot of the time the land owner sees us and stops, but once they find out what I am doing, they get out their cameras and are all smiles.  I always make sure we pack out what I pack in, and most of time I end up picking up trash around the area.  On my first few miles out of Rockford I had an idea to pick up the trash along the way and leave the full bags along the side of the road.  Now I know, there would be no possible way for us to carry that many bags to collect all the junk along America’s roads.   Litter is a sad epidemic to the beauty of our nation that you can’t quite grasp doing 60 zipping by all the underlying trash.  The next time you think about tossing something out, don’t think about me walking barefoot past all the garbage, think about whether you are willing to steal the opportunity from the eyes of a child to see pure natural beauty.
Ogallala Nebraska is where all the cattle drives came to an end.  Their heritage is truly old west and they keep it alive still on Front Street where they have Old West Saloon style singing and dancing shows.
Lake McConaughy is Nebraska’s largest lake with over 100 miles of shoreline.  It spans 20 miles long, 4 miles wide, and 142 feet deep.
A bronze statue that stands on top of “Boot Hill” in Ogallala Nebraska where they buried outlaws and cowboys that no one else claimed.  Just another reminder about true history of our nation.