FREEDOM WALK Pastor plans to walk his way to raising money for outreach

The walk is the latest in a long line of fund-raising efforts by the pastor.
By SHERRI L. SHAULIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
LIBERTY -- The Rev. Dan Cesene admits he does some pretty crazy things.
"It all depends on how you invest your insanity, though," said the Rev. Mr. Cesene, pastor of the First Christian Assembly Church in Liberty. "I just do crazy things for the gospel and for good causes."
His latest cause is raising money for Teen Straight Talk and Barnabas Ministries to support educational outreach in Africa. To raise funds, Mr. Cesene plans to walk 100 miles in 30 hours, taking pledges for each mile he covers.
The 100 Mile Freedom Walk is set for 4 p.m. June 25 through 10 a.m. June 26 at First Christian Assembly, 3243 Cardinal Drive.
"I have one friend who told me at my age, I should just be happy if I could stay awake for 30 hours, never mind walking that long," the 48-year-old pastor said with a laugh.
Other events
It's not the first unusual fund-raising event Mr. Cesene has undertaken. Almost two years ago, he raised money for the Second Harvest Foodbank by attempting to walk 500 miles in 10 days.
Before that, he had himself jailed on the roof of the Brookfield Township Administration Building to collect funds for needy families and children in Mexico and West Africa.
"Each year, I anticipate what crazy thing I'm going to do next," explained Mr. Cesene, who's been a pastor for almost 20 years.
This year, he said, he wanted to do something a little practical as well. A former runner, he took to walking a few years ago after he started officiating local soccer leagues.
He and some friends decided this year's challenge should center on walking, specifically walking a long distance in a relatively short time.
"I average about a 16-minute mile, which is a pretty good clip," Mr. Cesene said. "To stay consistent at that rate, it would take almost 28 hours to walk 100 miles, so we will be cutting it pretty close."
But Mr. Cesene plans on having plenty of company and support to help him through the walk. Leading the pack is his wife, Diane, with whom he celebrates his 28th wedding anniversary June 26.
"I asked her if she was OK with this," said Mr. Cesene, who readily jokes he planned the event to avoid an anniversary dinner. "And she thinks it's great."
Church members Barb Hudson -- who's organizing the event -- and Bob Worley and his son, Matthew, also plan to spend the entire 30 hours nearby. The Worleys not only mapped out a quarter-mile course around the church property for Cesene, but also built an electronic device that will light up as he completes each of the 400 laps.
Others will be on hand with refreshments, hats and shirts available for donations, Mr. Cesene said.
And then there are those Cesene hopes will join him for the walk, or at least a portion of it.
"Everyone is welcome who wants to come and cheer us on; they don't have to walk," he said. "But anyone who wants to walk and raise their own pledges is more than welcome, too."
slshaulis@vindy.com
XPeople interested in participating or pledging may contact the church at (330) 759-2272 or Mr. Cesene at (330) 503-8894.