Peruvian, walking for hope, stops in Marion County

Julio Montoya of Peru stopped in Marion County during his Hope Walk 2008. Montoya’s walk helps disabled Peruvians get prostheses and other equipment.

By: Jennifer Bartell | SCNOW
Published: July 05, 2008

Teach. Inspire. Empower. This is what Peruvian native Julio Montoya hopes to do with his Hope Walk 2008.
Montoya’s walk helps disabled Peruvians get prostheses. His walk, from Boston, Mass. to Miami, Fla., is called Camino al Futuro, or Walk to the Future. Monetary donations made while he is walking help individuals with disabilities get wheelchairs, walkers, crutches and any other needed equipment, Montoya said.
In Peru, for example, eye examines are expensive, he said. He lives in the city of Paita, Piura in Peru and is a veteran with the Peruvian government. Montoya’s right leg was amputated after a land mine injury. He had been collaborating with the United States on an assignment, he said. He eventually had 62 operations at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md.
Tommy Harrelson of Mullins saw Montoya walking in Mullins in June. “I saw him walking with his big floppy hat and all those flags. I knew he was a veteran,” Harrelson said. He drove past Montoya, but said he came back to talk to him because the Lord told him to.
“I thought he would give me a lot of trouble,” Montoya said of Harrelson, who is a towering figure compared to the smaller Montoya. But the two became fast friends, with Harrelson helping Montoya with lodging and food while he waited for his trial date.
Montoya returned to Marion to resolve a 2004 indecent exposure case. While making his 2004 Hope Walk, Montoya came through Marion County. “I was walking on (U.S. Highway) 301 and my leg got infected,” he said. He stopped in front of someone’s home to massage his leg. The homeowners thought Montoya was undressing and called the police. Montoya was arrested for indecent exposure. He spent two days in jail.
Montoya went before Magistrate Judge Darryl Burns for a hearing in June. Burns said he dismissed the case because the complaint didn’t show up. “The person basically made it seem like it was something when it wasn’t,” Burns said, referring to the charge as silly.
To make a monetary donation or to donate food and water, visit http://www.caminoalfuturo.org/ and click on the Principal tab or call Robin Prakash at (240) 351-4172.

Peruvian, walking for hope, stops in Marion County

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