| Community involvement |
Escape From Alcatraz
By Ted Allon In 2008, six Aussie blokes went to San Francisco to compete in the Alcatraz Challenge. Five did the 3 km swim from the famous Alcatraz Prison Island and 1 of us did the 14km run across the Golden Gate Bridge and back. All 5 who did the swim made the top 100 out of 6 to 7 hundred competitors. It was a great event and very exhilarating. We loved it and we all "escaped from Alcatraz". Since then I have consistently thought of doing the event again but this time illuminating the plight of Victoria's Homeless and street kids who often don't have any chance of "escaping a life of crime and prison". Like most people, my heart breaks when I am confronted with the issues and challenges that many of these young people face daily. At times I want to take them home but know that I don't have the capacity to assist them. I discussed this with Les Twentyman who is someone who has put in the hard yards over two or more decades to make a difference in making a difference to these these valuable lives. My wife and myself feel hopeless to help in practical ways as do most Australians. I believe if we all could help we would. This is the reason for this email to you. It is a way we can make a huge dent into these issues. I am assembling a team of 20 swimmers who will go to Alcatraz to do the swim in metaphoric support in escaping Alcatraz and to highlight the often hidden world of suffering of our homeless youth. In doing so we will be seeking mainly Corporate sponsorship and in 2010 raise a min. of $100,000 for this work. Attached is an article from Sundays Sun Herald, and a pic finishing in 2008 where Alcatraz can be seen in the back ground. If you would like to join us for a swim, receive some coaching form the super fish Johnny Van, and support this worthy cause we would love to have you along.  Brighton Baths 12pm each Sunday between now and 18th July. $5 donation and coauwe would love to have you along for a swim. Sincere thanks Edward Allon 03 5783 4101
Kidney to MelbourneGood morning, CANCER is one of Australia’s main takers of life. Cancer does not discriminate. It affects men, women and children alike. It must be stopped. Kidney to Melbourne, in 2009, will cycle from Sydney to Melbourne and raise money for the Peter MacCullum Cancer Institute. With only 4 weeks to go, I am training hard with many days starting at 4.30am; I am riding 300+km a week, before work, to be tour fit. You cannot choose when you have cancer. It does not rest. This motivates me daily. Why are we riding? A few facts:· In Australia more than 106,000 new cases of cancer are diagnosed each year. That’s 290 people yesterday, 290 today, and 290 tomorrow. · Funding is vital for hope, support, research and information for every single Australian. · Funding helps not only those with cancer but their family and friends. Yes, you can help!You can join the fight without pedalling a single kilometre. You can get on the road to finding a cure by making a donation. Every dollar counts. All donations help, regardless of their value but here are some suggestions to get you thinking: · $48 would cover $3 per week of training (16 weeks)...and the same price as a takeaway coffee · $96 is 3 times my age... · $550 would be like donating 50 cents per kilometre (1,100km)...and $1000, well... · All donations (over $2) are fully tax deductable. It’s easy to donate online:Go to our fundraising page at http://www.everydayhero.com.au/kidney_to_melbourne or visit our NEW website www.kidneytomelbourne.com.au Donations only take a couple of minutes and all donations over $2 are tax deductible. You will be emailed an invoice directly from the website. Alternatively you could write a cheque made payable to Peter Mac Cancer Centre, which I will forward directly to them. My address is 308 Canterbury Rd St Kilda West VIC 3182. The ride is getting close and I am getting very excited to start our journey on Boxing Day, but I really need your help to reach my goal. A big thank you to everyone that has contributed and donated to the Kidney to Melbourne Ride so far! To date we have raised just over $8,000 getting us well on the way to our $25,000 target!! What are we doing with the money raised?We will be purchasing a new ultrasound machine which assists in the biopsy and diagnosis of Kidney Cancer. The machine costs $27,000 so of course our target has moved to $27,000! Check out the attachment to see what we’re riding for. Thanks so much for your support and please forward this to anyone you know who would also like to be a part of the fight against cancer.
Oxfam |
