Shit just got real.
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| H2H on my brain! |
It's going down, folks: Tin Mai is riding from H2H, Hanoi to the Hoch, up and down mountains, through paddy fields, sporting my spandex, in February of 2012!
Friends and families, with 19 other volunteers, I will be partaking in a month-long, 1,200 mile/2,000km ride down the length of Viet Nam. We will be riding to support three charities that aim to improve the quality of life of the impoverished and less-fortunate children and youth of Viet Nam. The Children's Initiative, Saigon Children's Charity, and the ILA Community Network are all involved in projects that work towards building a better future for the young'ns of Viet Nam by giving "access to education, healthcare, training, and opportunities to fulfill their potential in life."
Why am I doing this?
- Well, I recognize the privilege and the opportunity that I have here in Viet Nam, the place I've been calling home for the past 9 months. I want to make the most of my time here and want to give back to the country that has given me so much. The inequalities here are abundant, and I don't mean between the locals and the expats. There are countless children here that don't have opportunities for access to education, healthcare, and much more. The charities listed above are all championing for narrowing those inequalities and alleviating poverty for the disadvantaged. I wanted to do my part in helping the cause and, luckily, landed at ILA, the school where the H2H Charity Ride started 3 years ago. Over the next few months, I will be training with the other volunteers and raising as much money as possible for our charities. We would all appreciate it if you could support us and the charities as well.
What can YOU do to help?
- Easy! Check out my page here: firstgiving/tinmai. Donate. Spread my page around. Email blast/facebook blast/tweet it/repost it on your blog. Expenses for safety, fundraising, and financial administration costs will be kept to the absolute essentials so as much of your donations go directly to the charities. We'll have a better idea of what % that will be once we factor in all our deposits and (potential) corporate sponsorships. What that means is you are in no way paying for my month-long charity ride. Along with taking one month off from work (during which I'll not be having any income), I am funding my own way through all of this. The bike (sort of), the cycling gear, the accommodations, the food & drinks, and anything else will be paid for through my own funds. Whaetever you give will be going towards training youth who cannot attend public schools, funds for school materials, construction of a kindergarten, completion of a library project, a micro-loan project for the poorest families in these charities and so many more great projects. Every little bit helps.
What's the deal, really?
- Starting back in September, the volunteers started doing twice-a-week training rides around Saigon. Each ride is roughly 20 miles/30km and lasts a bit over 2 hours. We'll be ramping up our rides as the date moves closer, eventually tackling 55+ miles/90+km rides to mimic the actual February ride. The average ride will probably be somewhere around 43-50 miles/70-80 km/day, with the shortest day about 30 miles/49km and the longest about 68miles/110km.
Just this past week, I did a 75 mile/120km ride that started around 7 a.m. and finished at 5 p.m. That was absolutely bananas. I've got a long way to go before I can be in top form to be able to do this for a month straight.
So, let's get to it. Please spread the word and help/support the cause. Thank you!
For more information, check out our website here: H2H Charity Ride (dot) org
To keep abreast of our training and fundraising efforts, read out blog here: H2H (dot) blogspot
And, again, to read more of my story and to donate, holler: tin mai @ firstgiving
Peace and blessings,
tinmai
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| The very first training ride back in September for H2H 2012. Sarah, Dana, tinothy, Rhona, and Kirsty bird. |
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