A race for a worthy cause
NORTHCLIFF – The Ry-Ma-In Self Help Centre is one of the charities people can support for the Telkom 947 Challenge.
The Flight Centre Travel Group is excited to welcome motivational speaker and author, Vic Vermeulen, a man on a mission to inspire and empower the community as the ambassador for the Flight Centre Foundation.
The Northcliff resident gave a talk at Flight Centre’s head office about raising funds for Ry-Ma-In Self Help Centre during the Telkom 947 Cycle Challenge in November. The Linden-based centre is actively seeking ways to improve the daily lives of its residents through fundraising initiatives.
Vermeulen said, “I initially suggested to the Flight Group to consider raising funds for the centre. They are always in need of items such as secondhand clothing and books which are sold in their secondhand store to raise funds.
“I invited some of my colleagues to visit the home and they were shocked at the extent of the residents’ needs. A disability like being a quadriplegic or paraplegic is not like cancer, Aids or any other disease where you either get cured or you die. A person can live like this for many years and depend on other people to help them.”
The home requires R100 000 a month to sustain itself. “The government is supposed to pay them R30 000 a month. They have not received payment for the past five months.”
He encouraged people to visit the home to see where their donations will go.
Flight Centre Foundation project manager, Diane Cleary said people can either register themselves to cycle in the race or participants can raise R1 400 through their own methods.
“There will be an appreciation evening at the Randpark Golf Club before the race where we will hand out race packs. Vic will also be there and we’ll ask for him to invite some of Ry-Ma-In residents. At the race itself, we will have supporter zones, cycle shirts, and charity lawns where snacks and drinks will be available at the end of the race,” said Cleary.
She added that people can register on the Flight Centre Foundation’s website, fill in their information and donate on the site.
Details: Flight Centre Foundation 082 833 8984.
