Thursday 20 June 2013

Mandela Coins or Mandela Minutes...

At the edge of every valley is an incline. While an incline oftentimes requires hard work and endurance, the splendor of the valley below can never be truly beholden without gritting teeth and digging into the the task of climbing.
Such is our endeavor for the month of July. We grit our teeth in a bid to overcome the challenges that millions of orphaned and vulnerable children face on a daily basis. The mountains before them may seem all too distant from the regular person but they are an imposing reality that stands in the way of many a dream.
On Saturday 20 July, Cape Town has to come to a stand still as we partake in the challenge of the year. Here's a challenge to anyone who can walk, crawl or maybe acquire mobility on any two legged contraption, complete a 9.5km loop in 67 minutes (or more)! The route will proceed from the Nothern Suburbs,through the Atlantic Seaboard and CBD and forms a circular route via the Southern Surbubs.

If you are an adrenaline junkie and looking to achieve an ULTRA ORDINARY feat of note, be inspired to do all 10 legs and complete a total of 95km to celebrate Madiba's birthday.
While it may seem all too impossible for some, we imagine the sacrifices made by those we look up to which cost them a lifetime.
Though we are not all born to become a Mandela, Ghandi or Mother Teresa, we certainly can be one of these to someone through a simple act of kindness such as taking part in the Mandela Day Minutes for Millions Charity run or supporting from the sidelines.



Details: 

Event: Mandela Day 67 Minutes of Endorphins for Orphans
Event Type: Fun Run
Distance: 9.5km (runners welcome to take part in more than one leg of run)
Date: 20 July 2013
Venue: Choice of 10 pit-stops around Cape Town (See route maphttp://goo.gl/maps/M8C1m)
Time: First Leg starts 06:30am (all others are 67 minutes apart)
Entry Fee: R30
Contact: 079 939 0026

Lots of spot prizes to be won and blue ribbons for all finishers

All proceeds will go towards Newkidz on the Block, to help establish loving homes for orphaned, vulnerable and destitute children in South Africa. (www.newkidz.org.za)

If you can walk, you can run and if you can run, you can certainly make a difference!

Tuesday 4 June 2013

Mission On Hold...


The climax of any given story often leaves one with a desire for more. Furthermore, the protagonist is expected to emerge with some form of victory which brings the audience a sense of triumph. However, Mission Possible Comrades Back to Back does not follow a similar plot to the regular story.
Once there was a team, whose endeavor was to slay a dragon of sorts. An imposing menace that broke hearts, minds and lives, leaving the young tenderlings calloused by hardship leaving them with neither inclination nor ability to love and be loved. The thought of one young life derailed on our watch was enough to convince us to leave the familiar and venture into seemingly uncharted regions. With minimal reserves, we put much on the line with one thing in mind…radically bringing down the monstrosity replicated in millions of scenarios, labeled “orphan”.
Though the vision of our trip ended with the raising of hands in triumph as I crossed the finish line of the Comrades marathon after 174km, our journey ended only a couple of hours after it started due to a faulty starter motor. 


While our sights were set on Pietermaritzburg and Durban, our car gave in just outside Laingsburg in the Western Cape. Constant sighs, echoed what words could not express but we knew one thing had to be done, keep level heads and look for the silver lining in the dark cloud. If truth be told, silver linings are difficult to spot through tainted eyes but we continued to fumble on. With all other options exhausted, we resolved to abort Mission Possible, Comrades Back to Back.
The mission ended before it hardly begun on Friday 31 May. Something that may seem like failure but we took this a learning curve. If one lives to tell the tale, then the tale will certainly be worth telling. All those clichés, "what 
doesn't kill you makes you stronger," all came to fore but above all we learnt to be content in whatever circumstance we found ourselves. We learnt never to take our eyes off the goal. Our trip to the Comrades was cut short, but the mission to spread the word and change the lives of millions of orphans is far from over.