Running for
a Cause

Canton mother-daughter duo organize eye-opening fund-raiser

BY ED WRIGHT
April 17, 2010, 1:35 a.m.

  One of the first things Salem standout long-distance runner Kara Booms reaches for following her almost-daily multi-mile runs is a cool, refreshing bottle of water.

  The realization that clean, drinkable water is not readily accessible for millions of people around the world inspired the junior to team up with her mom, Carolyn, for a fund-raising and awareness-raising running event Sunday at 9 a.m. at Tonda Elementary School in Canton.

  Over 100 runners are expected to converge on the parking lot at Tonda, which is located on Warren Rd. between Beck and Canton Center, for a six-kilometer trek -- the same distance millions of women and children in Third World countries need to walk every day to attain  clean, disease-free drinking water.

  "I received an e-mail from the company that registers runners for road races on-line and it included an advertisement for the Live Earth Run For Water event that is held every April 18 in countries all over the world," said Carolyn Booms, who, like her daughter, is a running enthusiast. "When we looked at the sites the events were being held, we couldn't believe one wasn't being held in this area.

  "So when I mentioned it to Kara, she said, 'Let's do it, mom!'"

  "We were expecting about 20 people," Kara said, smiling. "I e-mailed my track teammates at Salem, we put it on Facebook, and before we knew it, we had over 100 people coming, some from as far away as Lowell and Haslett. It's grown bigger than either one of us expected."

  The six-kilometer course -- which matches the distance many Third World inhabitants need to travel by foot to attain safe, disease-free water -- will include a circuit of the driveway in front of Tonda and a lap around a third-of-a-mile track south of the school. The course will then take runners to the Booms' house, which is located in the adjoining subdivision.

  "Our house is the three-kilometer mark, exactly the half-way point," Carolyn Booms said. "We will have milk jugs filled with six-and-a-half pounds of sand in case people want to carry two of them back over the final three kilometers to the starting point to get an idea of what these people have to go through just to get drinkable water.

  "Thirteen pounds is the equivalent weight of the water the women and children have to carry back to their homes in the countries that have clean-water shortages."

  There will be a timing clock on hand at Tonda, but no medals will be awarded as the primary purpose of the event will be to raise funds for World Vision, an organization that raises funds to help make clean water more accessible to residents of Third World countries, and to raise awareness of the scarcity of clean, drinkable water in over 80 countries around the world.

  There is no charge for the runners who have signed up for the event, however, a large glass jug will be available as a  collector for donations people can make to help the cause.

  Live Earth T-shirts will also be on sale for $10 a piece. Any profit from the sale of T-shirts will be donated to Live Earth, which is sponsored by Dow.

  Non-runners are encouraged to stop by Tonda if they would like to make a donation.

  For more information on the event, visit the website the Booms have set up: http://www.joinliveearth.org/page/event/detail/4jjdr

  Kara Booms, a former student at Tonda, is no stranger to giving of her time. In addition to excelling at cross country and track-and-field at Salem, she serves as a mentor for middle-school students at NorthRidge Church in Plymouth Township.

  She's also just a few months away from embarking on her fourth missionary trip with the church. This summer's destination is Mexico.

  "There are a lot of fund-raisers going on all the time, but I wanted to get involved with this one because it's such a great cause," Kara said. "Something we take for granted like clean drinking water is difficult to get for millions of people around the world and it's nice to be able to do something to help the problem, even in a small way."

   Ed Wright can be reached at (734) 453-1980 or info@plymouthcantonsports.com.