It’s not your usual summertime south to north trek in search of cooler weather. The three Central Michigan University students who passed through Fredericksburg yesterday and today are on a trek to raise awareness of sexual aggression. The group started at seven but apparently the prospect of a summer without a job caused the other 4 to have to withdraw from this journey to awareness that began on May 5^th in Miami and is scheduled to end in Boston by August 5^th. That’s the date their plane reservations are for to fly them back to Michigan to spend the balance of the summer recuperating from their trip and I presume telling the many stories the trip created, including the story of coping with 109 degree days in North Carolina. 

Rebecca Mercado-Thornton, 22, Josh Phillips 24 and Kate Kreps who celebrated her 21^st birthday yesterday evening at The Loft downtown say that the trip has been tiring but rewarding.

Left to right: Josh Phillips, Rebecca Mercado-Thornton and Kate Kreps

They have been welcomed by sympathetic supporters from the very first day. Lodging has for the most part been provided by those supporters as they have traveled. Food and financial support along the way has also been plentiful. They carry a tent but have only had to pitch it four times since they began 8 weeks ago. With a goal of twenty miles per day, their 1500 mile effort should take them about 75 days. After leaving us they will have about one third of the trip to go.

Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan is home to their sponsoring organization,  “Sexual Aggression Peer Advocates” and you can find a nice article there giving more detail on this admirable effort.