ALEXANDRIA — Tonya Bakewell Dreher, a 1988 Alexandria graduate, has been named the recipient of the Greg Farrell Award by the NYC Outward Bound Schools.
Dreher will be presented with the award during an online ceremony that will take place March 8.
In choosing her from among a stellar group of nominees, the selection committee was especially inspired and impressed by the remarkable work she is doing to combat Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a terminal disease her son, Gus, was diagnosed with a dozen years ago, according to information on the NYC Outward Bound Schools’ website.
Dreher, along with her husband, Steve, are the founders of the Hope for Gus Foundation , hopeforgus.org. Soon after establishing the foundation, Dreher launched her flagship fundraiser, “Everest to End Duchenne,” leading treks to Mount Everest base camp as a potent symbol of the physical limitations boys with Duchenne face.
In 2017, Dreher, who now lives in New Hampshire, along with two other 1988 Alexandria graduates – Cathy Grover Barker and Natalie Johnson Annis – along with Annis’ daughter, Shae, took part in the trek.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Greg Farrell Award honors the life and legacy of Gregory Rowland Farrell, who passed away in the spring of 2020, and who left an indelible mark on the fields of education, philanthropy and government. He was the founder of NYC Outward Bound Schools and was involved in several other organizations.
According to the news release announcing that she won, Dreher, like Farrell, is a relentless visionary who overcomes obstacles to get things done, always with conviction, creativity, and above all, compassion. She has been tremendously tenacious and entrepreneurial in her fundraising efforts for the Hope for Gus Foundation.
In ways similar to Farrell, Dreher graciously lights sparks along her path to combat DMD, according to the news release. While organizing service projects in Kathmandu, Dreher reportedly learned that boys with muscular dystrophy lacked an accessible home. She then organized a crowdfunding campaign among DMD foundations, individuals and organizations to raise the money needed to build a home so that the boys can live and learn in a safe environment.
She is now working to raise funds to supply equipment, learning materials and technology so they can experience more freedom and continue their education despite the inaccessibility of schools. Likewise, upon learning of the lack of teachers and supplies at her guides’ village schools in rural Nepal, Dreher connected the village to an organization that funded the hiring of teachers and educational materials.
The Trust Project
