Aurora man named a Hometown Hero
To the men, women and children living at Marklund Home in Bloomingdale, Jim Armbruster already was a hero. Tuesday night, however, the Aurora resident added another title.
Armbruster, 60, was named an Aurora Hometown Hero in recognition of his achieving his 20-year goal to complete a 2,360-mile walk last year from his Aurora home to San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge.
He plotted his trek, which lasted from May 6 to Oct. 6., with the goals of building a name for Marklund, a Bloomingdale facility that offers 24-hour care for severely and profoundly disabled infants, children and adults, including his 24-year-old son Nathan. He also wanted to give Marklund a sizable check.
He achieved both, raising about $137,000 for the home where he now sits as vice chair on the organization's board of directors.
"Jim had been thinking about this and plotting and working up his nerve, I presume, and getting in shape for some 20 years to make this journey," Aurora Mayor Tom Weisner told the city council chambers. "So for demonstrating the virtues of kindness, generosity, industriousness and true humility, I now proclaim Jim Armbruster a Hometown Hero."
Armbruster accepted his new title, thanking the council and mayor and even added a piece of history to the city's archives.
"Being a fourth-generation family business man in Aurora, Aurora has a special place in my heart and in my family's heart," he said. "And also, the mayor and I have a part of our hearts that goes out to disabled kids so that makes this worth even more."
He then donated his daily journal from the six-month trek to the city's archives, adding he hoped "it won't hit the shredder."
Weisner said he's going to read it first and then deliver it to the city's historical society for archiving.
At the completion of his trip in October, which included hikes through deserts in 110 degrees and treks through blizzards, Marklund's CEO Joel Rusco praised Armbruster's big undertaking.
"This is a great day to be able to celebrate what we did for Marklund," Rusco said. "It's very rare that somebody does something like this."