Decide and donate II: Mad or Magnificent?

This time next week I will know whether or not I'm capable of covering 175ks on foot in 36 hours.

I am ready to go. Nearly. I'm ironing out a few logistical challenges, and I hope I'll have time to blog about them this week.

This time last year I ran my first 100k event and raised over $1,000 for my favourite charities. When I mentioned my upcoming event to one of my workmates, she asked me if I was going to do a charity drive again.

Her rationale:
"100 miles! You need to know people are supporting you on that kind of thing!"

So here I am, launching Decide and Donate II. Once again, it's over to you. What do you think? Mad or Magnificent? I'm asking you to decide, and on the basis of your decision, make a small donation to one of the charities I support on an ongoing basis.

Which charities?

The Smith Family

I sponsor a child through the Learning for Life program. His name is Ralph, and he's in year 10. The Smith Family is a children's charity which helps disadvantaged Australian children to get the most out of their education, so they can create better futures for themselves.

Donate via my Everyday Hero page if you think I'm mad.

The QUT Learning Potential Fund

I make a small payroll donation to the Learning Potential Fund each pay day. The Learning Potential Fund provides scholarships to QUT students who experience financial need. A partnership between QUT and The Smith Family also helps Learning for Life students continue their education with a scholarship.

Donate via the QUT website if you think I'm magnificent.
Note that this website is not a custom fundraising page, so please email me (triathletechronicles AT gmail DOT com) to let me know you've donated to the Learning Potential Fund, otherwise I won't know. And I want to!

Why these charities?

In a nutshell - I believe strongly in education as an equaliser. I believe that children from all backgrounds deserve the chance to create a better life for themselves. In Australia, education is a luxury for many, when it should be a given. The Smith Family writes about the impact of an education on lifetime outcomes on its website.

Of course, right now, there are millions of people on the other side of the world for whom education is much further down the priority list. There was a real temptation to switch out one or both of my regular charities and ask you to give to one of the many organisations on the ground helping the displaced people of Syria and other war torn areas. Because I don't give regularly to this kind of charity, I didn't feel comfortable recommending one over another - but I would be equally honoured for you to take this opportunity to give to a humanitarian cause of your choice.

How much should I give?

That's really up to you. If you want to give an amount that's relevant to my run, well, you could give $109... cruelly, though The Great North Walk 100 is marketed as a 100 miler - it's actually 109 miles.
(I know right.)

Or you could give $18, a dollar for each map I need to follow. Or, you could commit to your own little piece of madness by giving up a coffee sometime in the next couple of weeks and give the $5 you would have spent on that.

"But what's in it for me?"

Both of these causes are appropriately accredited, so you'll get a tax deduction this financial year. But that's a long time to wait, and it's not that fun. So to sweeten the deal, just like last year, if you email me your postal address, I'll send you a hand made card. Email me at triathletechronicles AT gmail DOT com.

You will also have the joy of knowing that, as my wise workfriend said, I will know you are supporting me in more ways than one. And I thank you for that too.