On January 2nd, Richard Propes wheeled 122 times around downtown Indy's Monument Circle in memory of 122 children who died as a result of violence in Indy between January 1, 2008 - December 31, 2015. Propes had originally intended to wheel on January 1, marking both the new year and the swearing-in of new Indianapolis mayor Joseph Hogsett, but shortly after announcing the tour was contacted by the Hogsett campaign and encouraged to attend the swearing-in.

So, Propes moved the tour back a day to attend Mayor Hogsett's swearing-in at Circle Theatre before starting the wheeling at 9am on January 2nd. Taking nearly a full 12 hours, Richard finished the approximately 35-mile effort just shy of 9pm and, as a bonus, raised nearly $3,200 for Indy's Legacy House, an organization that provides counseling and support services to individuals impacted by violence at no charge.

After several years of creative tours outside the Central Indiana area, Richard was admittedly surprised by the amount of coverage the tour attracted including all four local television channels, the Indianapolis Star, WFYI (public radio/television) and others. Joined throughout the day by anywhere from one to several walkers, Propes carried with him a list of each child so that he could remind himself throughout the day why he was wheeling.

The 2016 Tenderness Tour is the latest in a 27-year history of Tenderness Tour events from Propes, a longtime Central Indiana activist working to end violence in the lives of children and families everywhere.