What I’m doing
On January 16, 2010, I will climb on my bicycle in Cairo, Egypt and get off four months later after a 7,500 mile bicycle trip that will take me through ten countries before finally pedaling into Capetown, South Africa.
Given my passions for foreign travel and cycling, checking out the African continent on two wheels seems the perfect thing to do. It will also give me the opportunity to wipe the slate clean of some old demons. As some of you reading this letter may know, I was robbed in Africa at gunpoint in 2001 and this will be my first trip back. Hopefully, it will be just as eventful but in more positive ways. I hope the only steel that I get close to is my bicycle.
As with my prior bike jaunt across the USA six years ago, I want to use this trip as a chance to make a difference in the world. Most people reading this letter have the ability to shape their lives pretty much as they want. But others can’t.
In the same way that my ride won’t be taken alone (Tour d’Afrique will haul my gear while I ride my bike http://tourdafrique.com/tourdafrique) – I am hoping to use this epic bike ride as an opportunity to help others.
MY GOAL
I have set a goal to raise $35,000 on this ride, to be split equally between two charities: the Community Cycling Center in Portland and Project Rwanda. Both of these organizations have a common purpose – using bicycles to improve people’s lives.
HOLY SCREECHING BRAKE PADS! Thirty-five grand? That’s a lot of money!
Sure is, but I’ve done half the work for you already. My fundraising target with this letter is only $17,500. Several donors, including me, have agreed to contribute funds to match each dollar contributed, up to $17,500. So with your help, getting to the grand total will be easy.
YOUR CHANCE TO SPONSOR A KID IN AFRICA – ME!
You’ve probably gleaned by now that the purpose of this letter is to invite you to sponsor me. Every dollar I raise will go directly to the Community Cycling Center and Project Rwanda.
Here’s a chart I made to help you figure out a sum if you don’t already have one in mind:
| Cents per Mile | Level of Support | Comparative Value |
| Half a cent | $37.50 | Dinner for two in an ok restaurant |
| .01 | $75 | Pair of concert tickets |
| .02 | $150 | Two massages |
| .03 | $225 | Two nights at the beach in the off season |
| .05 | $375 | Four good seats at a Blazers game |
In exchange for your support, I will write a blog with funny and interesting updates during my trip, including my trials and tribulations and other events that unfold along the way (but I won’t Twitter!).
More importantly, your support will help under-privileged children in Portland, and coffee growers in Rwanda, obtain a bicycle and improve their lives in their own respective ways.
Please do not feel obligated to sponsor me. But, if you decide to do so, please consider splitting your contribution to each charity equally, and mail a check with JC-TDA on the check memo so that each charity can keep track of your contributions.
You can also go online to the respective websites and make your contribution, and again, please note JC-TDA so that they can keep track of your contributions. No amount is too small to give. Both organizations are public charities and your contributions are tax-deductible.
At the end of the day, I look at life this way: It’s not what I have that’s important – it’s what I do with what I have. And, hopefully, with some of what you have. I am sure we can help these folks improve their lives.
Thank you for your time and your consideration.
Jim Cavanaugh
503.225.9950
jc@clblaw.net