TAMPA, Fla. — Have you ever thought of spending 168 hours camping 15 feet up in a tower at Midtown Tampa? Well, that's exactly what U.S. Marines Corps veteran Scott Burns is going to do this weekend.
The 16th annual 7 Days For The Troops event will raise funds to provide an off-road, specialized wheelchair to a U.S. veteran that can handle trails, beaches and water up to eight inches.
Nonprofit organization 7 Days For The Troops is teaming up with The Independence Fund to provide the wheelchair which can cost up to $20,000, Burns explained.
This year's event is counting strictly on donations from the public to purchase the wheelchair.
And Burns, co-founder of the nonprofit, is ready for the event.
He will spend seven whole days in the Honor Tower, which he described as a mini apartment, interacting with people each day who are down below.
The only hard part? Not touching the ground when interacting with people down below.
“I try to interact with the people on the ground, and if no one’s there, I Netflix and chill for lack of a better way to put it,” Burns said.
The tower is built in levels with the help of some volunteers. Construction workers offered some help this year as well.
So when exactly is this event happening? You can find the veteran 15 feet up in the air starting Sunday.
Burns will begin his camp out at 2 p.m. Sunday and won't come back down until 2 p.m. Saturday, March 19.
And the veteran receiving the wheelchair? He's a Tampa Bay area local!
U.S. Marine Corps veteran Michael Stovall will be the recipient of the wheelchair this year.
Stovall told 10 Tampa Bay that he injured his knee while participating in a formation run during his service between 1993 and 1994. This was the beginning of a series of injuries and invasive surgeries that he had to endure over the years.
In June, Stovall will be celebrating 19 years with his wife. Their twin daughters will be turning 13.
"My wife is not just my everything, she is my caretaker for me. My twin daughters are my junior caretakers as well," the veteran wrote. "All three of them are here for me no matter what."
“I honestly believe that 7 Days For The Troops not only changes the life of the veteran that we help, but it affects their family because it allows them to have a peace of mind that their loved one gets to enjoy life to the fullest,” Burns said.
So far there are up to five sponsors for the event. Anyone interested in donating can click here.
Even if someone can't donate, Burns still urges people to come out to see him.
“Don’t get me wrong, we want as many people as they can to donate a $1 or $500 or whatever they want to donate, but we like meeting people so that we can tell them about the different veterans' needs that are out there…," he said.