Jimmy Wayne completes Meet Me Halfway walk through Oklahoma, continues into Texas

Country music star Jimmy Wayne, right, is on his Meet Me Halfway charity walk across half the U.S. to raise awareness of the plight of homeless youth. He is accompanied by Army Lt. Col. Jason Garkey on March 11 as they walk westward from McLoud toward Oklahoma City. (Photo By Paul Hellstern/The Oklahoman)

Country music star Jimmy Wayne finished the Oklahoma leg of his Meet Me Halfway walk on Saturday.

“I CANNOT BELIEVE I’VE WALKED TO TEXAS from NASHVILLE TN. (Arrived @ exactly 6 pm on 03-27-10),” Wayne posted Saturday on Twitter (www.Twitter.com/JimmyWayne), along with a photo of of himself with the “Welcome to Texas” sign.

Wayne currently is walking the nearly 1,700 miles from Nashville, Tenn., to Phoenix, Ariz., to raise awareness of the plight of homeless youths, especially those who age out of the foster care system. He started the project on Jan. 1.

He crossed the Arkansas state line into Oklahoma on Feb. 16. He generally walks 15 to 20 miles a day, but occasionally has to halt the walk for concerts, Grand Ole Opry appearances and interviews, including a one-on-one with me at the OPUBCO studios here in Oklahoma City.

Tennessee telecommunications company Hiscall has donated a support RV, car and driver for the project, and when Wayne must pause his marching mission, the driver, Josh Lewis, takes him where he needs to go and later returns him to the exact spot where he left off to resume the walk.

“It’s incredible, the hospitality that I’ve encountered from Nashville to here: folks coming out on the side of the road giving me coffee, letting me stay in their houses,” he said.