Running down a dream
Update - January 14, '08
As of today, my friends have contributed a total of Rs. 1,53,000 or $3825 USD! I have now revised my target to try and raise Rs. 200,000 or $5000 USD in total!
The list of contributors so far is as follows:
I personally know 3 very special kids: Pavitra, Prem and Hamsa.
Pavitra aged 16 is the only bread winner in her family. She is confident, independent, expertly juggles her 12th standard classes and a job with an NGO as a program assistant. The money she earns allows her to send her younger sister to school and feed her Mom and Dad who is indisposed. Her dream is to build an organization that will go on to help more kids who were in her position.
Prem came from a small village in Karnataka. He could barely speak any English and had little idea about life's choices. Today he is 17 and is doing his diploma in instrumentation engineering. He feels empowered because he was able to build his self confidence through a program that helped him improve his communication skills, work place etiquette and computer skills. He wants a job soon to send money back to improve his village and he's sure of landing one next year.
Hamsa is a shy 18 year old boy...Hamsa dropped out from school and came away to a shelter home because of complications in his household. Before that, he spent time on the streets and couldn't understand what to do with his life. Today he is a first class goal keeper in a hockey program and is responsible and smart as an admin assistant with an NGO he works with.
All these children would probably not be where they are today had it not been for an organization that helps support them ...and gives them a chance. That's all these children really need. And that's what this mail is about.
I am soon going to be making what is now my annual pilgrimage to Bombay and this time I am running the half marathon ( 21 Kms). I hope to do this in a time under 2 hours and I've been working hard over the last 8 weeks to make this happen.
What is driving me to train for this event and put in 40 kms of running a week is not just the challenge of endurance however. Like marathons everywhere the Mumbai Marathon too is a huge charity fund raiser and I am also running to raise money for a couple of charities I have been closely associated with for the last few years. Charities that take care of kids like Pavitra, Hamsa and Prem and give them a chance to make something out of their lives. The practice of raising money through your run at a marathon is a world wide practice and every year, millions of dollars are raised by individuals whose runs are supported by friends, family and well wishers such as yourself.
My intent is to raise Rs. 1 Lakh or $2500 USD through my run at the Mumbai Marathon. This money will go towards two organizations I am associated with. Both these organizations are headed by inspiring people and my interaction with them over the last couple of years is what triggered my move to work full time on social causes. The organizations are Dream A Dream and Atma, Mumbai. You can read more about them at these links: http://www.dreamadream.org and http://www.atmamumbai.org
The important thing here is for us to know that all of us needn't devote our lives to social causes. There are many young, smart and dedicated people already doing this and if we can part with a small bit of our wealth and contribute this to the work these people are already doing, we will do our bit to ensure a more equitable, egalitarian society. The cynics may scoff but I truly believe if each and every one of us does our bit, thousands of young people who would otherwise not have any hope at all would receive a little ray of light from which they can build their lives.
I hope you will contribute toward my cause and my dream. You can do so easily by visiting this link and making an online donation:
http://www.giveindia.org/give/pledgepage/abhi
If you want to write out a cheque instead, email me and I will let you know how you can do this.
No amount is too small. You can contribute as little as Rs. 500 or as much as Rs. 25,000. Its up to you. If you want to contribute and don't have an Indian bank account or Indian credit card, again get in touch with me and we'll figure out a way. Just know that what ever the amount, you're helping change a young person's life forever. Thanks for taking the time to read this. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
As of today, my friends have contributed a total of Rs. 1,53,000 or $3825 USD! I have now revised my target to try and raise Rs. 200,000 or $5000 USD in total!
The list of contributors so far is as follows:
- Aakash
- Abhinav
- Anirban
- Babitha
- Dhanur
- Gonçalo & Andreia
- Indranil
- Kaushik
- Kiran
- Kritika
- Mahesh
- Naaz
- Niharika
- Ronald
- Sameer
- Sidhartha V
- Surya
I personally know 3 very special kids: Pavitra, Prem and Hamsa.
Pavitra aged 16 is the only bread winner in her family. She is confident, independent, expertly juggles her 12th standard classes and a job with an NGO as a program assistant. The money she earns allows her to send her younger sister to school and feed her Mom and Dad who is indisposed. Her dream is to build an organization that will go on to help more kids who were in her position.
Prem came from a small village in Karnataka. He could barely speak any English and had little idea about life's choices. Today he is 17 and is doing his diploma in instrumentation engineering. He feels empowered because he was able to build his self confidence through a program that helped him improve his communication skills, work place etiquette and computer skills. He wants a job soon to send money back to improve his village and he's sure of landing one next year.
Hamsa is a shy 18 year old boy...Hamsa dropped out from school and came away to a shelter home because of complications in his household. Before that, he spent time on the streets and couldn't understand what to do with his life. Today he is a first class goal keeper in a hockey program and is responsible and smart as an admin assistant with an NGO he works with.
All these children would probably not be where they are today had it not been for an organization that helps support them ...and gives them a chance. That's all these children really need. And that's what this mail is about.
I am soon going to be making what is now my annual pilgrimage to Bombay and this time I am running the half marathon ( 21 Kms). I hope to do this in a time under 2 hours and I've been working hard over the last 8 weeks to make this happen.
What is driving me to train for this event and put in 40 kms of running a week is not just the challenge of endurance however. Like marathons everywhere the Mumbai Marathon too is a huge charity fund raiser and I am also running to raise money for a couple of charities I have been closely associated with for the last few years. Charities that take care of kids like Pavitra, Hamsa and Prem and give them a chance to make something out of their lives. The practice of raising money through your run at a marathon is a world wide practice and every year, millions of dollars are raised by individuals whose runs are supported by friends, family and well wishers such as yourself.
My intent is to raise Rs. 1 Lakh or $2500 USD through my run at the Mumbai Marathon. This money will go towards two organizations I am associated with. Both these organizations are headed by inspiring people and my interaction with them over the last couple of years is what triggered my move to work full time on social causes. The organizations are Dream A Dream and Atma, Mumbai. You can read more about them at these links: http://www.dreamadream.org and http://www.atmamumbai.org
The important thing here is for us to know that all of us needn't devote our lives to social causes. There are many young, smart and dedicated people already doing this and if we can part with a small bit of our wealth and contribute this to the work these people are already doing, we will do our bit to ensure a more equitable, egalitarian society. The cynics may scoff but I truly believe if each and every one of us does our bit, thousands of young people who would otherwise not have any hope at all would receive a little ray of light from which they can build their lives.
I hope you will contribute toward my cause and my dream. You can do so easily by visiting this link and making an online donation:
http://www.giveindia.org/give
If you want to write out a cheque instead, email me and I will let you know how you can do this.
No amount is too small. You can contribute as little as Rs. 500 or as much as Rs. 25,000. Its up to you. If you want to contribute and don't have an Indian bank account or Indian credit card, again get in touch with me and we'll figure out a way. Just know that what ever the amount, you're helping change a young person's life forever. Thanks for taking the time to read this. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Labels: half marathon, social impact, sports
posted by Abs @ 12/26/2007 04:14:00 PM
4 comments
