Jimmy Wayne Gives an Emotional ‘Halfway’ Update

This morning marked the first video blog from Jimmy Wayne as he continues his 'Meet Me Halfway' walk across the country to raise awareness of teens left homeless by aging out of the foster-home system. Standing in his Marmot Sportswear hiking gear, his sleeping bag, tent and backpack strapped to his back, Jimmy thanked everyone for their support, including his family for "not trying to talk me out of it."

Recalling his own troubled past, Jimmy explained in the video: "I was one of those kids, when I was 14 years old through the time I was 16 ... I was in and out of so many homes, and actually at one point, lived on the street. I was taken in by a family in their mid-70s. I wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for that family. I know for a fact. They took me in and took a chance on me. They gave me a home and a warm bed. They gave me food. It changed my entire life. It gave me a brand new start. I went back to school. I went to college. I got a job and ended up moving to Nashville and getting a record deal and living my dream."

Jimmy began his walk on New Year's Day at the Monroe Harding group home in Nashville and plans to keep battling the unpredictable weather until he reaches his final destination, Home Base, located in Phoenix, Ariz. Both are non-profit organizations which address the growing needs of at-risk and homeless teens.

"There have been so many people come out and offer me coffee or pull their car up to the side of the road to give me a place to charge my cell phone," Jimmy says with a grateful smile. "There's so much good out there in this world. I know that sometimes we tend to say this is a cruel world or this world sucks, but really it doesn't. I think when you get out and you really start trying to promote goodness, it attracts goodness. You guys have proven that to me."

Jimmy adds that he has a particular goal in mind which he hopes the walk will help him achieve.

"This is about raising awareness for these homeless teens. What if we raised so much awareness that we got 500,000 people to get involved with this campaign? What a difference 500,000 people would make if 500,000 people donated one dollar to Home Base or Monroe Harding. That would make a substantial amount of difference."

Jimmy is currently just outside of Jackson, Tenn. making his way to Memphis. To keep track of the singer's progress or to make a donation, visit the official Meet Me Halfway website or follow Jimmy on Twitter.

On Friday night, Jimmy will fly to Texas for his first performance of 2010 (and his first time playing music since beginning his trek) on Saturday (Jan. 16) in Abilene. After the show, he flies back to the airport to continue on with his walk.