HONOLULU (KHON2) — Nick Parker is getting ready to walk around the island of Oahu with the sole purpose of raising money for Shriners Children’s Hospital.
On Sept. 20, 2025, Nick will begin his trek, which is approximately 137 miles. He plans to break up the journey over 8 days, hoping to tackle about 17 miles a day to reach his goal.
Nick found inspiration for his cause from Scott Jung, who completed the course.
“He did it about 15 years ago,” Parker said. “When he did it, he also did it for Shriners, and that inspired me to say, you know, I want to do this for Shriners too. So that’s kind of how it all kind of created itself.”
The Jung brothers are the local legends behind Hawaiian Rent-All and its iconic sign on the corner of McCully and South Beretania.
“I went into Shriners just to kind of get a feel for what was going on over there, what they were doing, how committed they were. And I mean, I was just really blown away,” Parker said. “These kids and they’re in these states where they’re in so much pain, but even with that, they’re smiling, they’re having a good time, they’re being really optimistic. I just want to make it a little bit easier for them, knowing that there are people out there who do care about them, not just their own family, but others.”
Nick will start and end his journey at Shriners Children’s Hospital, reminding him of who he is doing this for, every step of the way.
Nick has been training daily, going the distance for these kids, literally.
“I think the longest walk I’ve done so far is 11 miles, but in total, I’ve walked about 74 miles,” Parker said. “What I’ve been doing is simulating what it’ll actually be like on the trek. I have all my gear when I do my walks. I have my tent with me, all the food that I’ll have, a little mini stove, a lamp and some hygiene stuff.”
When it comes to helping our keiki, Nick is in it for the long haul.
“Oahu is just the beginning. I actually want to continue with all the other islands. So after this, I plan to do Maui in the spring,” Parker said. “I’ll help kids over there, I’ll help kids here on Oahu, but in general, it’s just about helping all the kids in Hawaii.”
If you want to follow Nick’s journey or donate to Shriners Children’s Hospital, you can check out the website.