Westville community join forces

THE Serendipitty Rescue is inviting the public to come join in their big fundraiser that will see a 15-day cycling challenge It is called, For the Love of all Lives. This challenge aims to continue the organisation’s work in rescuing and to spread awareness in their belief that all lives matter.

Nicole Jack of Serendipitty said they have partnered up with Studio Fit Gym and Lives with Purpose as they share the same main goal.

ALSO READ: A dress-up day for dogs

“This all started a couple of years ago when we, at Serendipitty Rescue, rescued Chai, a beautiful girl who had come from a very bad home. She was very shut down. With the help of the founder of Lives with a Purpose, Catherine, who fostered her, she came out of her shell and started to show us how awesome she was. Our relationship with Catherine started before this when a family member of hers was shot, and their pit bull, who was trying to protect him, was also shot during a home invasion. We helped by fundraising to settle the bill at the vet.

“Ultimately, the owner of Studio Fit Gym, Vernon, adopted her. We all have a common goal, believing that ALL lives matter because ultimately, all of us affect each other’s lives. Lives with a Purpose assist with trauma counseling. Vernon assists with getting people healthy and fit. And Serendipitty saves pit bulls. Often, Vernon says Chai saved him,” she said.

Vernon made the decision to cycle from Langebaan to Durban. This is a 15-day cycle that starts at the end of April and finishes with his grand finale here in Durban on Saturday, May 13. All details of that finale will be on our page: Serendipitty Rescue on Facebook.

ALSO READ: A call to rescue dogs

The challenge has seen various sponsors within the community of Westville, which also include the safety net from the Westville Community Policing Forum. Cheryl Robertson from the CPF said this was a great opportunity for them to avail themselves to the community.

In the build-up to the fundraiser, there is also the Chai Challenge which offers workout and eating plans, including a vegan option.

Participants will have the option to train online or in the gym. In Durban, the owner of BLS Gym in Westville is Blake Louwrens, who holds the World middleweight deadlift record, at 415kgs, holds the Africa deadlift record, the Africa log-press record and the Africa axle-press record. His partner May, who is an incredible trainer, will be handling the Chai Challenge. For more info on how to participate in the challenge with May, please contact May on 083 984 1039. To participate in the challenge, the participants will need to register. They can email freda@smdn.org.za. The Chai Challenge was created by Vernon from Studio fit.

Catherine Wheeler of Lives with Purpose said this challenge is a great opportunity to remind people that their health needs to be approached in a holistic manner.

ALSO READ: Everything you need to know about service, guide and autism support dogs

“Exercise and understanding what is going on inside of you, and engaging with animals and the environment is important. There are healthy ways of treating trauma – we use ozone therapy when we debrief people, and it is a holistic approach as it deals with different aspects. So, we are here to promote that,” she said.

Jack extended her gratitude to the sponsors who are already on board.

“Our biggest sponsor is Mike from Lassen who has sponsored all of Vernon’s cycling gear which will be branded with all of the sponsors’ logos. We would love more sponsors. We are looking to make this an annual event. Over the 15-day period, the idea is to stop at other Rescue organisations and request food donations at those destinations for anyone who would like to meet Vernon and Chai. Chai will be driving with her dad in the support vehicle. We will have ongoing updates on the Chai challenge and the event on our page. We would love to show that ALL lives matter in the end. Hence the name of the event: For the love of ALL Lives,” she said.