Lubbock

Lubbock teenager near end of 1,600-mile walk to advocate for social security reform

He'll arrive in Washington, D.C. today in hopes of meeting with congressional reps

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If all goes as hoped, a teenager from Lubbock will arrive in the nation's capital around noon on Wednesday, August 21.

It's a journey of more than 1,600 miles, and Eliseo Jimenez is pounding the pavement to get there. The 17-year-old is walking to Washington, D.C. to make a point about social security and advocate for reform.

He's watched his grandmother and her neighbors struggle to pay bills and started the nonprofit NewLife Foundation last fall to raise funds to help Social Security recipients pay for groceries and utilities.

The walk is an effort to raise more funds and "shine a light on the needs of these vulnerable demographics and to advocate for change. It is disheartening to witness the lack of attention and support afforded to our senior citizens and individuals with disabilities by the federal government," Jimenez wrote on an online fundraising site.

The high school senior left Lubbock on Friday, July 12th, and now 40 days later, he'll arrive at his destination.

In an email to NBC5 Monday night, Jimenez said he'll arrive at the Capitol around noon on Wednesday in hopes of a face-to-face meeting with his congressman Jodey Arrington.

He'll head home on Saturday, a trip he'll make by plane.

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