Teacher Gathers Messages for New President

Dec. 22, 2008— -- If you could send a message to the president, what would it be? In March, B.J. Hill, 32, wanted to find out. He gave up his job teaching English as a second language in Boston to walk across the country and ask Americans what they wanted to tell the next president.

Hill began his 4,200-mile journey at San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, with a notebook and camera in hand to capture the moments in photos and collect people's words for the next commander in chief.

Across the western plains, down to the South and up through the Mid-Atlantic states, Hill walked eight to 12 hours a day, covering about 15 miles, in rain or shine -- through snow or sleet. Traveling through red states and blue states, Hill stopped in local coffee shops and diners, and listened to the problems -- taxes, gas prices, worries about the economy -- affecting all Americans. (Check out his route here)

Around mile 3,900, Hill crossed the Delaware River into New Jersey -- on schedule to make it home by Christmas. Hill has worn down seven pairs of shoes so far. Through his travels, all the locals were curious to know why he was doing this -- why did he make it his mission to bring the people's voices to the next president?

"The short version is ... concerned citizen," he said. "A lot of these politicians, be it gubernatorials, senatorials or presidentials ... when they're campaigning they get off the bus, they shake some hands, they give a speech, they eat an ice-cream cone and then they get on the bus and, you know, you never see them. I wanted to collect these messages in a book format, where the president could keep [them] handy and refer to every once and awhile."

It's not Hill's first walking journey. In 2006, Hill walked across Massachusetts before the gubernatorial elections, collecting messages for the next governor. He met with the new Gov. Duval Patrick and delivered the people's messages. And in 2007, the Massachusetts' native hiked up Route 122 North.

Along his cross-country journey, Hill kept the messages for the next president in three leather-bound journals. The entries are snapshots in time -- fragments of American lives. The big complaint last summer was high gas prices. Now, it has turned to the economy -- a lot of people asking the president to "save my job."

So, what do the messages say? Many comments are sincere and honest: "Mr. President. I did not vote for you, but I will support you."

"Mr. President, Do not expect to win all the time, but don't get discouraged."

Some are sarcastic: "You have one hell of a mess to clean up after Bush and Cheney. I hope they leave some of the furniture."

Messages for Our Next President

Some are poignant: "Save science, including stem cell research for my daughter's future."

Most are hopeful. "Dear President Obama -- I believe that hope is not a touchy-feely vapid catchphrase of an emotion. I believe that hope is a profound belief that we can be better," someone wrote.

Hill wants to write a book to bring the voices and concerns of fellow Americans closer together.

"This book would be our own lobbyist, sitting on every desk in Capitol Hill," he wrote on his Web site. "When the president runs for re-election in 2012, we as voters can pick up this book and say, well, this is what we asked of you. ... Did you deliver?"

Most people that Hill has met have been eager to make their voices heard.

"I want to have my little mark on history," said Badahir, who wrote a message in Hill's journal in New Jersey. "I know that he will be remembered, and I know that this little note right here, maybe 20 years later, it'll surface somewhere and I'll see it. And I'll think of these days. He made history, and I just want to be part of that."

Thanks to the trip, Hill said he has seen the American spirit up close. Hill couch-surfed, relying on the generosity of strangers to take him in for the night and carried a sleeping bag and tent to camp out in backyards and parks.

"I wish there was a camera over my shoulder following me to show the generosity and kindness that I found," he said.

Hill withstood the elements, convenience-store fare and knee pain for his ultimate goal: to get his journals to President-elect Obama's bedside table.

"I would like to think that he would be simply inspired to do more," Hill said.

Hill has gathered bits of inspiration over thousands of miles that he hopes will serve as a touchstone for the president-elect.

"I'd like to think that he'll keep it near his desk, or on his nightstand, and at the end of the day, he'll open it up, sit back and think, 'What did I do today to help this single mother in Merriman, Neb.?" he wrote on his blog.

For more information on B.J. Hill's journey cross-country, visit his Web site.