12-year-old boy to complete cross-country walk for homeless children today in Santa Monica

A 12-year-old Florida boy who has been walking across the nation for nearly six months to raise awareness of homeless children is set to reach the finish line today in Santa Monica.

Zach Bonner has walked nearly 2,500 miles from Tampa, Fla. in what he calls the "March Across America."

"There's an ancient Chinese proverb: `A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step,'" Bonner said. "Most people don't walk a thousand miles, or 2,500, but what it really means is that we all need to take that first step to get something big done. If I've helped even one homeless child, I hope I've accomplished that."

Zach – recipient of the President's Volunteer Service Award – began the walk on Christmas Day, joined by his mother and brother.

Zach is used to long walks. From 2007 to 2009, in three phases, he walked from Tampa to Washington, D.C., to raise awareness for distressed children.

That 1,225-mile-long trek, "From My House to the White House," inspired a yet-to-be released film, according to publicist Emily Davis.

Zach's Tampa-based nonprofit organization, Little Red Wagon Foundation, creates projects to help struggling kids.

Zach began his efforts at age 6 by collecting bottled water to give to victims of Hurricane Charley in 2004.