His Name is William
His name is William. We met at the Calhoun-Gordon County Library on a rainy afternoon one week before Christmas. I saw his bike outside and found him inside talking on the phone. I overheard the word porch. When he hung up, I asked him to tell me his story.
William told me he had a head injury from an accident caused by a drunk driver. He was traveling the country trying to raise awareness of head injuries and the gaps in care. He had just asked someone from a local church for help, and she suggested he go to a homeless shelter. The man looked frustrated.
“What do you need?”
“I just need a place to sleep and recharge my bike batteries. People at homeless shelters try to steal my stuff. I’m not an alcoholic or a drug addict. I don’t fit in there. When I charge my batteries at a park, the cops kick me out. This is my nineteenth time across the country since 2017. It’s always like this, especially in the South. All I want is a safe place to sleep and maybe a shower.”
We walked outside and called my neighbor. Between the three of us, we figured out how to meet William’s needs. He followed me to my house, where he got a shower and a hot meal.
William said, “I just want people to know there are good people out here trying to make it on our own. Is it too much to offer me a porch for a night?”
After dark, I led the grateful man to my neighbor’s church. There he charged his batteries and got a good night’s sleep. William texted my neighbor at eight the next morning, saying he had locked up and was on his way to Rome, Georgia.
William and I have talked a few times, and I have had time to reflect. More than his needs for food and a warm place to sleep, or bike parts and a new sleeping bag, William is making me aware of something deeper. What I’d really like is for William to see that compassion still exists in our country. That there are people willing to listen, to see him for who he is, and to offer more than a porch for the night. If you have any ideas or would like to help William in a practical way, please email me or let me know in the comments.
* WilliamGallowayBicycles
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Joy M. Walker
January 15, 2026 @ 5:29 pm
Maybe donations to get William hotel rooms in the cities he needs to stay in? Maybe a sponsor or two?
Hopefully a church or something that can be preset for him.
I’m not sure but the Internet sure seems to work for some asking for these kind of things
January 15, 2026 @ 6:26 pm
Thanks, Donna. I appreciate the ideas.
January 16, 2026 @ 8:32 am
Would a bike company be interested in sponsoring him? He might contact the manufacturer of his current bike. Lectric Bikes? Nike? Adidas? A gym, perhaps, like Anytime Fitness? MAAD? Is there a head injury support group or organization? Do we have hostels in America?
I can’t think of a better person than you for him to have met, given your experience biking and camping, your compassionate nature and your expansive list of contacts. Someone will surely come up with a workable idea.
Good luck, William, you’re an amazing human!
January 17, 2026 @ 3:00 pm
Those are some great ideas. As someone who traveled the West from Planet Fitness to Planet Fitness, I am surprised that I didn’t think of the gym idea. I will pass on your thoughts to William.
Thank you.
January 16, 2026 @ 9:31 am
First, thank you for helping William. He is up against a big problem and that is so many people have not been trustworthy and miss used the help offered. So that leaves people afraid and cautious. The only thing I can think of at the moment is if he would stay in one place for a while and prove that he is trustworthy, etc. maybe he could get people interested in forming a network to inform other areas of his mission. With technology today, it is pretty easy to get your message out. Just a thought.
January 17, 2026 @ 3:05 pm
So true, Mary Anne. That’s exactly what I was thinking about those who have gone before him making all of us so skeptical and hardened. Hard for him to stay in one place if he doesn’t have a place to sleep. Also, I believe he really enjoys the travel. He knows he can’t do it forever, but that’s where he is for now. Thanks for your input.