Mark Schultz grew up in Colby, Kansas and graduated from Kansas State University with a degree in marketing. He moved to Nashville, Tennessee where he became a youth group leader at First Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) in Nashville. He has released 4 albums and has been nominated for numerous Dove Awards, winning his first at the 2006 Dove Awards when the CD/DVD Mark Schultz Live: A Night of Stories & Songs was named Long Form Music Video of the Year.

On May 6, 2007, Mark began bicycling from California to Maine planning to stop along the way to perform concerts and participate in special events. Originally scheduled to end in New Hampshire, the tour ended on July 8, 2007 in Bangor, Maine.

Mark's inspiration to make this 3,500-mile (5,600 km) trek came from a visit he and his wife, Kate, made to orphanages in Mexico. In the spring of 2006, they went on a mission trip with The James Fund, a non-profit organization founded by Family Christian Stores, to meet the needs of orphans and widows in distress. Mark's own adoption drew him to explore this ministry. Seeing firsthand the harsh realities for many orphans and realizing that he could have easily been one of the boys in the orphanage, Mark wanted to make a difference. He made a decision to reach out to orphans through active support of The James Fund.