How one man is showing thanks to Southborough school for students with autism

Beginning with his first step along the Santa Monica Pier in California, Michael McKenna knows he has a long, long road in front of him.

The Norwell man is undertaking the rigorous task of walking across the southern part of the United States, starting in Santa Monica and traveling roughly 2,500 miles over about four months and ending in Jacksonville, Florida. McKenna is walking the distance to help raise money for the New England Center for Children, a school for students with autism in Southborough.

"The school really provides the gold standard for severely autistic children, and my son (also named Mike) attended from when he was 4½ years old until he was 22," McKenna said.

The school offers boarding and day programs for students who are significantly impacted by autism and cannot be adequately taught by local school systems. And since his son began attending the school, McKenna has run different charities to support it.

For 12 years, he ran a golf tournament, "The Mike," but COVID-19 made it challenging for large gatherings to take place. McKenna then organized a charity walk along the Cape Cod Rail Trail.

Finding success through the walks, and seeing successful trips across America on YouTube, McKenna decided to challenge himself with The Mike Walk Across America.

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"I wanted to do something big, something that would be beneficial to the school," McKenna said. "I figured if I thought bigger, people would give bigger."

So McKenna, 56, started his journey on Tuesday. He plans to walk an average of 22 miles per day; by mixing in a few rest days, he'll will walk through nine states. McKenna said he dropped 70 pounds while training for the walk, as he underwent rigorous physical training at Orthopedic & Sports Physical Therapy of Cape Cod in Harwich.

McKenna said that while he is looking forward to accomplishing his goal, he said he's also realistic about his ability to walk the distance and understands his limitations if he must adjust.

"There is a 100-mile stretch in the Mojave Desert without any services; I'm not afraid to take an Uber to get back to the hotel," McKenna said. "I've prepared and I've trained. I intend to finish, but if I get hurt, I'm not going to be a hero. I'm not a wannabe survivalist, I'm going to go one day at a time and do the best I can."

McKenna will take in a large portion of the country during his journey, and he'll be raising awareness for autism and how it impacts children and their families. He is already impressed with the interest strangers have shown in his journey.

"Already in the short time I've been in California, it has been a really interesting response," McKenna said. "People are interested in what I'm doing, and they care and it's been heartwarming so far and the donations are pouring in."

Where does the money go?

McKenna has a goal to raise $150,000 — he was about halfway there before the walk began. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts is the primary sponsor, donating $15,000. Lee Kennedy Co. Inc., a Quincy construction company, and Lorusso Heavy Equipment, LLC, of Walpole, are also major sponsors, and there are many smaller independent donations. Funding will go toward the New England Center for Children's general fund, which supports the school in assisting students with different needs.

"It enables things such as alternative communication devices," McKenna said. "Many kids, such as my son, are non-verbal, and the only way he can communicate is using technology, and he only has about a dozen words, but without that expensive technology, he wouldn't be able to communicate. That is expensive technology, and the money helps get that technology, and train teachers to learn how to use it. Everything goes to funding these programs that are necessary to help these kids improve."

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The NECC was founded in 1975 and supports about 200 students from ages 4-22, according to Chief Development Officer Jared Bouzan. Students who don't commute live in 14 different houses throughout Southborough, and are transported to the school daily. Funding raised by McKenna will help support various goals that NECC has to enrich the lives of its students, he added.

"The money goes to everything such as student events, increasing our technology and establishing additional resources," Bouzan said. "Right now, we are in the process of building a dental clinic on site for our students. We also need funding for town events that our students wouldn't be able to attend, such as field day, science fairs and similar events. It also helps support our great staff and meet their needs here at the school."

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Through The Mike golf tournament, Massachusetts charity walks and now The Mike Walk Across America, the McKenna family has helped raise more than $800,000 for the school since 2009.

"What Mike is doing is really incredible — he is a great example of how dedicated our parents are to helping their children and other families," Bouzan said. "We don't ask every parent to walk across America, but we are very blessed to have great parents like Mike, and the amazing amount of support we get from other parents and from across the Southborough community."

To donate to The Mike Walk Across America, go to necc.org/mike-walk/.