DELHI TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Starting Monday, a kayaker from Delhi Township plans to traverse the Mississippi River to promote mental health awareness.
Joseph Solomon started Kayaking 4 A Cause in 2018, and in 2019 he kayaked down all 900 miles of the Ohio River. Now, he plans on kayaking down the 2,350 miles of the Mississippi River to bring awareness to mental health conditions, some of which he suffers from.
"Over the past year I’ve been pretty depressed, because I need to be out here," Solomon said. "So I’ve been struggling a little bit, but I’m here to represent other people that don’t have a voice... I just want to bring light to that so that people can feel comfortable talking about it.”
Solomon will also be supporting the nonprofit Adventure Crew with this expedition. Adventure Crew takes kids from the inner city of Cincinnati out into nature for hiking, biking and other outdoor activities. They also provide mental health resources to the kids in the program.
Solomon has prepared by gaining weight so he has energy reserves when he's out on the water, and he will have a solar panel and battery bank with him, which he will use to plug his phone into to provide updates on his journey.
If you would like to follow Solomon's journey or support him and his causes, click here.
