NAMI Walk

Rivals will go shoe-to-toe in walk for mental illness
By Mary Clarkin - The Hutchinson News - mclarkin@hutchnews.com

Kansas House of Representatives candidate Randy Conyers will bare his sole to make a statement.

Conyers plans to walk barefoot in this morning's two-mile fundraising NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Kansas "Walk for the Mind of America" in Topeka.

Conyers, a McPherson Democrat running in the 73rd House District, laid down a challenge to incumbent Rep. Clark Shultz, R-Lindsborg:

If Shultz was at the walk, Conyers would walk the two miles in his bare feet.

Conyers was delighted when he learned Shultz would be at the event.

Until now, no state legislator has attended the NAMI Kansas walk, Conyers said.

Shultz said that in mid-March he received an invitation to participate from another McPherson resident.

The event fit into his calendar this year, and he expects to walk with a team from Mc-Pherson County.

He also has agreed to be a judge in a contest at the walk.

"I'm not looking for publicity," Shultz said.

"It's pretty serious stuff," he said.

To prepare for his barefoot walk on pavement, Conyers trained sans shoes.

In the process, though, he picked up blisters.

Nevertheless, he still intended to fulfill his promise.

"It's not a stunt, it's a statement," he said in a phone interview.

"No matter what happens to my feet, my feet will heal," he said.

"But when it comes to mental illness, we don't see 'healness.' We see those who are on medications, those who can become part of their local community even though they do have a mental illness."

Many people have mental illness, he said, and a number of soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are experience post-traumatic stress.

Conyers, whose résumé includes extensive computer software design work, noted that Shultz is chairman of the Kansas House Insurance and Financial Institutions Committee and insurance is one of the issues for mental health care advocates.

Conyers hoped to raise $150 through his walk to benefit the organization, and as of Friday morning, sponsors had pledged a total of $125 - including $25 from Shultz.

An estimated 500 to 700 people will be at Washburn University for the walk, Conyers said, and the route will cover a sidewalk and the more-harsh-to-the-feet asphalt.

"I may have to do a little walking in the grass beside the walkway," he said.

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