01/20/2026
As Sammy’s dad (Sam Graham Sr.), my heart is full seeing my niece Faith and her mom Sheri Fudge turn their Appalachian Trail dream into a powerful way to honor our beautiful boy, Sammy. Through Sammy’s Backpacks, we keep his spirit of kindness alive by giving school supplies to kids who need them most—each backpack carries his legacy forward.In honor of Sammy Graham, whose light still shines through Sammy’s Backpacks, Faith and her mom are turning heartbreak into hope—one step, one donation, one child helped at a time. They’re hiking the entire Appalachian Trail to raise awareness and funds for this charity that Brigette and I started to celebrate Sammy’s life of compassion and giving.My niece Faith and her mom, Sheri Fudge, are about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime. They will be heading to Georgia to hike the entire Appalachian Trail. The Appalachian Trail is approximately 2,200 miles long (3,500 km), stretching from Georgia to Maine.Faith has been dreaming of this hike for the past six years, but no one would ever agree to do this crazy thing with her until Sheri finally dug deep and found the courage to say, “OK, maybe lol.” Sheri told her she would do it, but they needed two years to plan and prepare. Well, that two years is up, so here they go!We know many who hike the AT do fundraising for a charity that is dear to them—many vets raise money for veteran causes, etc. Faith and Sheri immediately decided to try to raise money and awareness for Sammy’s Backpacks. Sammy is always part of our hikes anyway; we talk to him and often ask him to help us on a hard day.Intertwining Sammy’s Backpacks with their AT hike is a bit strategic too, because they would never want to let him down by giving up (trust me, there will be many days they will be fighting the urge to quit). Brigette and I started Sammy’s Backpacks to honor our beautiful son’s life. Now that time has passed since the trial proceedings, hopefully they can focus fully on honoring his life and spreading his kindness instead of the pain of the past.Sammy will be with them in so many ways. We know tomorrow isn’t promised to anyone, so if the Appalachian Trail is their dream, they will need to give it their all now.Watch our interview with Brigette here: [insert video link]Please follow their journey, give them a push with your words, and support Sammy’s Backpacks in any way you can—donate, share, or spread the word at sammysbackpacks.org. Every bit helps keep Sammy’s legacy of kindness going strong! From one proud dad (and uncle) to all of you—thank you for lifting Faith and Sheri up and helping carry Sammy’s light a little farther.
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