Northville woman to walk sunrise to sunset for a great cause
On the longest day of the year — and undoubtedly one of the hottest — Northville resident Kristine Dreyer will walk from sunrise to sunset to raise money for Team World Vision — an organization that is near and dear to her heart.
Dreyer’s amazing one-day feat will commence Thursday — the first official day of summer and the longest of 2024’s 366 days — at 5:54 a.m. and conclude 15 hours and 20 minutes later on the track that circles Tom Holzer Field in Northville.
Thursday’s temperatures are forecasted to peak in the low-90s, a scenario that forced Dreyer to slightly alter her plans.
“My original plan was to run and walk throughout the day, but with the high temperatures, I’ll be strictly walking,” she said. “My goal is to raise $10,000 for Team World Vision and to raise awareness of the crisis that young girls are facing in Africa.”
Popular NPS para-professional
Dreyer, a popular Title One Para at Silver Springs Elementary School in Northville, is accepting donations that will be forwarded to the Team World Vision charity, which raises money for clean water for kids in Africa.
“Women and children — mostly girls — walk almost four miles one way to get water, which isn’t even clean,” Dreyer said. “The girls aren’t able to get an education because they miss school when walking to get the water.
“This is a tie-in with my work, because I can’t imagine any of my students having to do this.”
People can support Dreyer’s mission by making a donation on her website here; donations can also be made using a QR code that will be printed on a large piece of cardboard at Tom Holzer Field on Thursday.
In addition to Thursday’s fundraiser, Dreyer will be collecting donations for when she runs the Free Press half marathon with her Team World Vision teammates, which explains why the fundraising page refers to the half marathon.
She loves to run — especially for a good cause
A resident of Northville for the past 19 years, Dreyer started running regularly 10 years ago.
“One day I was walking and I heard some music that inspired me to start running,” she said. “I’ve been running ever since and I love it.
“My philosophy is: ‘As long as I’m running, I might as well help a great organization like Team World Vision’. It’s all about having a greater purpose by helping others.”
Dreyer said the idea for “The Longest Day” fundraiser struck her last fall as she prepared to run in the Detroit Free Press half marathon (she has completed over 20 half marathons and one full marathon during the past decade).
“I told my friend, ‘I have a crazy idea I want to tell you about’,” she reflected. “When I told her my plan, she said, ‘You can do it! Go for it!'”
35 miles in the heat
Expecting to walk the equivalent of approximately 35 miles Thursday around the Tom Holzer track, Dreyer has followed a strict training regimen since January that has had her running/walking as many as 22 miles in one day.
“The entire process has been fun,” said Dreyer, who is the head coach of Silver Springs’ boys version of Girls On The Run. “I’m excited, not nervous. I’ve never doubted I could do this. The only thing that worries me even a little is the heat, but I’ll make sure I stay hydrated.
“That I’m doing it for a cause will give me more energy, too, on Thursday.”
Dreyer is encouraging people to show up at Tom Holzer Field (located on Baseline Road, just north of Hillside Middle School) to offer her encouragement — or even join her for a few laps.
“I’ve already heard from a few of my students who said they are going to stop by and cheer me on,” Dreyer, said, smiling.
If you have a good-news article idea for SocialHouseNews.com, contact Ed Wright at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.