"John B" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
<snip><snip>
Although not one of the charity holidays my daughter (then aged 13) had to
raise £2800 to attend the World Scout Jamboree in Thailand a few years
back.
The sum was to cover her own attendance and subsidise that of scouts from
less
well-off parts of the world.
Rather than going around holding the hand out she set about raising the
funds
by organising and carrying out a wide range of worthwhile activities - all
of
which helped her own personal development too.
These included:
Litter clearing after a major charity music festival;
Running BBQ stalls at charity fund-raising events at local pubs;
Running games at local fetes;
Organising a Jumble Sales;
Organising Car Boot Sales:
Assisting at car-parking stewarding at charity events...
There was one self-arranged charity ride she did - round the IOW, where
she
did all the route planning, costings, transport bookings etc for a group
of
other scouts.
By carrying out these activities she showed commitment and responsibility.
This attracted further support by some local youth trusts who then
pledged
help, which was tied to her completing a self-supported LEJOG ride.
Eventually after nearly two years hard work she had raised enough to go to
Thailand and Malaysia.
You get the drift? Run activities yourself to raise the money.
It may also help *your* own personal development as the response to Simon
D
clearly shows some is needed.
John B
I must say that I very much agree with John B's post and find it a
refreshing attitude taken by his daughter.
I am personally not in favour of this sort of Charity sponsorship. If a
person really wants to give help to a charity in real terms then they should
offer their help in a more direct and physical way rather than tootling off
on some holiday and expecting people to cough up money while you enjoy
yourself. Far better to actually just donate money direct to the charity
concerned. But getting out there in person and working for the charity in
real time is better, both for the charity and for the person doing it.
When I undertook to do a cycling pilgrimage from my home all the way to
Santiago de Compostela in April 2004 I was frequently asked why I was not
seeking sponsorship. Most seemed incapable of understanding that it was very
much a personal challenge, both physical and mental, for me. I wanted no
distractions and found the actual journey hugely invigorating and life /
mind changing. I also enjoyed it immensely ( even the 4 days with snow in
the Spanish mountains were, retrospectively, "fun"😉
I believe that to have looked for financial support would have watered down
that achievement. At 66 years old I bought a bike, spent some 5 months
training on an unfailing daily basis and then cycled camped my way through
England, France and Spain -- never having done such a trip ever before!
Every day, as I travelled was a totally new experience. I had no idea
whether I would achieve my aim and I shall never forget sitting with my back
to a wall of the cathedral on a cool but sunny afternoon on 11 May 2004 and
having a bit of a weep -- I couldn't believe that I had done it
The "spin-offs" were huge for me personally because I am still cycling
daily, covering about 5000 miles a year and am on velo no.3 and I'm still
alive!
Trevor A Panther
In South Yorkshire,
England, United Kingdom.
www.tapan.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk
