CINCINNATI — A hiking group in southwest Ohio is using the power of the community to help those in Ukraine. 

Erin Wynn always loved to hike, and now she totes along with her one-and-a-half-year-old twin boys with her.

“It’s something that brings me a lot of peace," Wynn said. "And I hope that it’s something that brings them a lot of peace as well.”

Wynn loved hiking so much that she started Cincinnati Hikes in 2019, a community of outdoor-loving people who she thought would only amount to 200 people but has grown to 20,000. After hearing about the war in Ukraine, she knew she wanted to use her power to help.

“Let’s see if we can make a bigger impact with something that’s catered to the outdoor community, which is already a super passionate community," she said.

So then came the idea of a virtual hike held on 513 day, Cincinnati’s area code, on May 13 to help the people of Cincinnati’s sister city in Ukraine.

“You get to walk 5,304 steps, which is equivalent to the mileage to our sister city of Kharkiv," Wynn said.

That’s about 2.5 miles. Wynn said when starting Cincinnati Hikes three years ago, she never imagined the effect it could have.

“Now, with this effort, it’s absolutely mind-blowing that we can make such an impact on a global scale," she said.

And now, as she thinks of her own children, she knows the money raised will help mothers like her, and she’ll be thinking of them every step of the way.

“We all kind of feel helpless," she said. "But even just taking a moment to take those steps and reflect on what the people of Ukraine are going through is mind-blowing.”

To join the virtual hike, visit this webpage and donate $25 for the efforts. The hike can be done anywhere, as well as with organizers in Cincinnati. The hope is to raise $5,304.