House Betsie Louw 12hour Charity Ride

A crazy idea between some friends, to see how far we can cycle in 12 hours, saw the House Betsie Louw 12 hour Charity Ride being born.


It is taking place next Sunday, the 24th of October 2010.


We initially asked the question, if runners get 12 hours to run 89.9km during the Comrades Marathon, what would a cyclist be able to do on a bike in 12 hours. We then decided to give it a try and while we're at it, let's see if a charity organization can benefit from it.

House Betsie Louw was chosen and below is more about the house, which is situated in my hometown Witbank.

WHAT IS HUIS BETSIE LOUW :
A private, non-profit welfare organisation with its own constitution and bank account that is controlled by a voluntary Management committee which meets twice a month and is elected every two years.

The house is under the control of the Matron, Chairman, House Committee, Care Giver and Assistant Care Giver.

AIM OF ORGANISATION:
The aim is to provide boarding to physical and mentally handicapped persons. The Management attempt to create a homely atmosphere by allocating different household duties to the residents, like cleaning their own rooms and washing the dishes. The boys can help in the garden and cut the lawn to promote a feeling of pride in their home.

BACKGROUND :
Huis Betsie Louw was officially opened on the 25 November 1987 with 5 handicapped occupants in a rented house with a Matron and an Assistant. With the increase in rentals and the lack of housing for the handicapped in the community, the committee decided to purchase their own home. The acquisition of a derelict house in Jackaroo Park was achieved in May 2001.

After different fundraising projects the mortgage was paid and after very hard work and perseverance House Betsie Louw exists today with 13 bedrooms, 4 showers, 6 toilets, 3 bathrooms, living room, dining-room, kitchen and pantry, laundry and an apartment plus a double garage. At the moment a total of 28 persons of whom 25 are handicapped, 2 Care Givers and a Matron are being housed.



The day will start at 6am on Sunday 24 October at the Highveld Mall shopping centre. The route take us through some neighbourhoods before we hit the Freeway and then arrive back at the Mall, a 10.2 kilometer loop in total.

We will then aim to see how many laps we can do until 6pm that night.


We struggled to get approval from the National Road agency to use a 3km stretch of the National Freeway but eventually they approved with the condition that a maximum of ten cyclist are allowed on the Freeway, making the fundraising a little bit more demanding.

Our aim is to raise R12000($1600) for the event, 12 Hours = R12k.

A big thank you to Marco from CycleTech bike shop, my LBS. He donated a Mountain Bike, which will be raffled on the day.

Sandra, manager at the Highveld Mall, also helped a lot and helped us getting spot prizes from all the local shops in the Mall which we will hand out during the day to people who donate.

The local running club( Coaldust) also helped us with Banners and a Timing Clock and Cones to place on the Freeway (another condition to be able to use the Freeway)


My blog is not a charity blog but if you feel you can spare some loose cents, I'll appreciate it so much. The residents from House Betsie will appreciate it even more.

Let's be thankful for being able to swim, BIKE and run and think about those that can't do it due to their Mental or Physical condition.

Please Click on the "Donate" button right at the top of the blog to donate or you can do a bank transfer into House Betsie's account with reference "Charity Ride".

The banking details:
Bank: Nedbank
Branch Code: 146805
Account Nr: 1468036963

House Betsie is a registered welfare organization and their registration number is: 025-134-NPO . For those who donate and need a Receipt to claim back the tax, just let me know and House Betsie will provide you with a receipt.


THANK YOU