Davie rolls out welcome mat after woman’s journey takes a detour

There she was, stranded at the Florida 595 Truck Stop in Davie on Thanksgiving, an Ohio woman who for 16 years has walked to different parts of the country to help the homeless.

Kim Denmark, 56, had no place to go after her donated support vehicle broke down. Now she needed help and Davie provided it.

Mechanics at the truck stop fixed her 30-foot RV, which had been given to her just weeks ago. Davie’s mayor gave her the key to town hall and and invited her to speak at two public events. And a business in Davie has offered to put a wrap over her RV for free, with faces of some of the people she has helped as well as her own image, walking with an American Flag.

“I really don’t want the focus to be me. Since I set out to do this, its always been about those in need. They are my focus,” said Denmark, of Dayton, whose nonprofit “Walk Across America Inc.” funnels donations to the homeless and others.

Denmark has walked through 17 states so far, helping one homeless person at a time.

She doesn’t have much of a budget, and relies mostly on donations from businesses to help her get food, clothing, furniture and other essentials to those in need. She also connects the homeless to social services.

She says about 80 percent of the people she meets on the streets are military veterans.,

Her problem began when the RV broke down. She uses the vehicle as a layer of security on her walks and to provide the homeless with a place to shower and sleep. The vehicle’s steering failed, but she managed to slowly pull it into the truck stop at 2705 Burris Road. The diner was closed so Denmark walked to the bar. There, the staff invited her to a Thanksgiving dinner with all the fixings.

When they learned about Denmark’s nonprofit, a patron suggested she call Mayor Judy Paul. And things took off from there.

“What a very sweet woman with a tremendous mission,” said Paul, who earlier this month invited Denmark to speak about her mission at the town’s annual Holiday Lighting of the Greens and at a town council meeting.

Some residents approached her after her speeches and offered to donate.

Denmark is still trying to help a young mother of two who works at the truck stop to find furniture for her apartment. Denmark is seeking donations from local furniture stores.

A local car shop, Miller Brothers in Davie, has offered to put a wrap over her entire RV and she is working with them on designs.

Once those things are taken care of, she will continue on her walk.

For now, Denmark is still at the truck stop, sleeping in her RV at nights. The business extends a power cord for her to hook up her vehicle.

“This is all because of Davie. I’ve gone to 16 states and 5,400 miles and I haven’t experienced this. This just doesn’t happen,” she said.

Denmark