Davon and Tavon Woods, twin brothers from Pennsylvania who were adopted at the age of two, are going on a 600-mile trek from Sumter to Philadelphia over the course of 31 days to raise awareness about foster care. They are standing up for a matter important to their hearts with their #FosterKidsMatter movement.
“Foster care isn’t talked about enough,” Davon told WLTX. Tavon added all they want to do is “share our story and share stories of other kids that went through foster care.”
The Sumter brothers, who were placed in foster care shortly after birth and adopted at the age of two, hope to share comparable experiences for children who may feel powerless in the system.
“We walked in their shoes, and a lot of our stories are pretty much similar,” Davon said.
They will go from the Sumter County Courthouse to Philadelphia wearing donated Hoka shoes and carrying one rucksack each. They’ve already traveled through several states, the longest of which was a 96-mile voyage from Georgia to Florida.
“Just mentally, it just is very hard just to be able to push, and we do 20-plus miles a day,” Tavod said. “That’s walking eight hours straight.” But the brothers find the strength to persevere, driven by the mission to bring attention to foster care issues.
Moreover, support from the community is pouring in, with residents like their friend Justin McCoon acknowledging the sacrifice and the crucial awareness the brothers are generating. “It’s taken fire faster than I could believe,” McCoon says, emphasizing the impact of their journey.
The brothers appreciate the support from their community, with Tavon stating, “Just to know that we have the support of the city is amazing.”
For Davon and Tavon, the walk is not only about raising awareness but also strengthening their unbreakable bond. Davon said, “It is definitely a blessing and on these walks, it just makes us stronger because we just be talking and just talking and talking about everything that we experienced and how everything is happening now for us.”