Buy me a beer!
(Figuratively that is!)
In July, I’m going to be giving up alcohol, but I’m hoping you’ll donate that beer money to a worthier cause.
I’m doing Dry July, in the middle of Japan’s summer, to raise awareness (and funds) about an excellent children’s charity in Japan called YouMeWe that is helping young people in institutionalized homes get an equal opportunity to succeed in their adult years.
What is Dry July?
Dry July is a non-profit organisation that kicked off in Australia in 2008 when three friends pledged to give up alcohol for a month to raise money for a local hospital. Thanks to some local publicity, 1,000 people joined the cause in its first year, and the movement stuck. By 2012 it had official expanded internationally into New Zealand and has continued growing since then.
I first decided to do Dry July as a personal challenge in 2018, and found it reflective enough to do it again in 2019 (and now 2020).
OK so it is a fundraiser?
2020 will actually be the first time that I’m appealing to raise funds for a charity during my abstinence. The official Dry July movement in Australia regularly raises funds for cancer patients, but I’ve decided to “Think Global, Act Local” and support a local charity here in Japan.
As you may know, I joined the “Knights in White Lycra” this year. KIWL is a group of amateur cyclists that ride to raise funds for charities. We’ve been training for a 500km ride out to a children’s orphanage in the Northern part of Honshu, due to take place in October.
This year KIWL is raising funds for YouMeWe, a charity that helps children growing up in institutionalised homes in Japan.
One of the key areas they support is equipment and mentoring for digital, financial and communications literacy so that when these young people are propelled out into the wide world at 18, they have a foundational set of skills and a 21st century career pathway established.
I’ve decided to put both projects together.
Double Damage!
I’m very excited to be undergoing two personal challenges for this cause.
1. Zero alcohol for a month in the middle of Japan’s summer
2. Cycling 500km in 4 days on a journey through Japan to one of the orphanages that YouMeWe works out of.
But the double damage doesn't stop there. I've specifically chosen a project supported by the Manchester City Football Club association CityZens because they are fund matching every donation made to this project in July. That means every dollar you donate is DOUBLED. Woohoo!
Reality
Neither of these challenges are easy and require quite a habit change on my behalf. There will be no cold beer waiting in the fridge after a hard (and hot) day’s training! The struggle will be real!
But it will be a lot easier knowing that you are cheering me on! Please, if you can, consider making a donation for this cause. In return, you’ll be keeping me honest and committed to training harder. Who knows, with the workouts and the break I’ll be giving my liver, maybe I’ll even get a bit healthier by accident, and we both know that couldn’t hurt!
P.S. Sadly I can't post links here, but below, you can see a link to the project supported by CityZens which can explain more about the goals, and the approved fundmatching.
