Rich Fenster will walk from Long Island to Florida at the end of this summer if he can find an organization that will sponsor his charitable dream.

Fenster will sacrifice three-and-a-half weeks, from his 95 hour per week work schedule, to trek on foot, an estimated 1600 miles, beginning at Our Lady of Hope in Carle Place, and ending in Orlando, Florida.

What Fenster needs is an organization that will sponsor him, taking care of the official aspects of the project, and, in turn, benefiting from the money he raises.

Said Fenster, "The interest is not in walking, the interest is in doing something different that will help kids."

To train for his project, twice a week every week, the Carle Place resident walks from the corner of Glen Cove Road and Jericho Turnpike to Shea Stadium, a total of 28 miles.

When he has a full day off, such as on a holiday, he walks to the west end of Long Island where he crosses the 59th Street Bridge into Manhattan and continues walking to Madison Square Garden. Once there, he hops on the Long Island Rail Road to Jamaica Queens and walks home again.

Emily Griffin of Littleneck, Queens, worked with Fenster at one of his three jobs, Harry's Hilltop Delicatessen. She said that since the day she started working with him two years ago, she knew of his plan to walk to Florida.

Her opinion, "I thought it was crazy. I still think it's crazy. I think it's wonderful and generous, but I still think it's crazy."

Despite this, she said she will do what she can for him and hopes for the best in the completion of his mission."I know that he will definitely do everything he can to try."

The strong drive to help children, stems from an incident in which Fenster, the father of three boys, encountered a little boy suffering from AIDS in Kings County hospital. Stricken with double pneumonia, the boy forced cries for his mother out of a frail body wrapped with tubes which protruded, literally, from his nose to his toes.

The encounter, so moved Fenster, that he set out on a series of visits with lawyers and accountants in an attempt to become non-profit certified and a viable charity source for such children.

The one caveat to the plan, Fenster insisted that his method of fund raising be unique, hence the idea of walking to Florida. Explained Fenster, "This is something nobody does."

Unable to attain non-profit status, Fenster was able to create Walk 4 Kids, his project to travel to Florida, where his family lives, arriving right before his son's birthday on Sept. 11.

His wife, Maria, though admittedly not thrilled with the idea, is supporting Fenster in his dream, as are his three boys, Richard, Chris and Timmy.

Further family support comes from his niece, Lauren, who designed his promotional shirt, and his older brother, Brian, who has offered to travel at least some of the way with him.

Several local businesses and residents have expressed interest as well. Andrew Hurley, of the Cornerstone Pub in Mineola, was moved by Fenster's "good heart" and his idea to help children. "I'll even give him a couple of bucks."

To aid Richard Fenster with either donations or sponsorship call 741-6291 or 747-6727.