Update!
By chance I caught a bit of Oprah while on my lunch break today, and who should be on but Michael J. Fox himself. I have found the summary of it on Oprah's website if anyone is interested. I was very curious about the talk of whether embryonic stem cells are going to be the answer to finding a cure for Parkinson's (as well as many other diseases including juvenile diabetes, MS etc).
If you would like to read about it go to:
http://www.oprah.com/article/oprahshow/20090319-tows-michael-j-fox
Also totally by chance, when finding that link I found an old interview (from 2002) again with Oprah, but this time before his first book, Lucky Man, was published. Here is the address:
http://www.oprah.com/article/omagazine/oprahscut/omag_200203_ocut
but also if you are after a good read both Lucky Man and Always Looking Up are great reads. They are what got me interested in the Foundation, and are not 'pity tales' they are lighthearted and humorous as well as conveying their serious message.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Saturday, June 13, 2009
The Grand Plan
Welcome to Ride To A Cure: The Blog!
Ride To A Cure was an idea I had a day or so ago, and because of the way it keeps growing I thought I should start this blog, so that when the event actually comes around people will be ready to support it!
The aim of Ride To A Cure is to hold a Pony Club level One Day Event in order to raise money for the Michael J. Fox Foundation. The idea would be that every dollar spent in entries or on the day would go directly to the foundation. The Foundation itself was set up by Michael J. Fox (funnily enough) with its aim being to help find a cure for Parkinson's Disease. The exciting thing about this Foundation, and the whole thing, is that it is highly likely that a cure will be found in THIS generation, and to be a part of that would (I believe) be an honour.
If you would like more information on the Michael J. Fox Foundation or Parkinson's Disease please look at their website: michaeljfoxfoundation.org . If you would like to become a member of Team Fox (something I will be doing in the next few days and registering this event with them) go to teamfox.org and join up.
Obviously a date has not been set for the event yet, but I do have a few plans for it laid out already:
* The entry fee for each rider will be around $30. This means that if we can manage to find 100 riders we have an instant $3,000 to give to the Foundation before we even start.
* I would love it if each rider could try to find sponsors for their ride. I am thinking along the lines of the MS readathon here, where they would ask friends and family members to sponsor them if they complete the event by putting money towards the cause. Obviously the donations wouldn't have to be huge, but it would be a way of gaining support from those who don't necessarily ride or have an interest in Pony Club, but do have a 'horse crazy niece/nephew/grandchild' etc etc.
* I would love for all the prizes for the placings in each level to be totally donated (I am running with this goal of giving 100%, in which case the event itself can't cost us anything)
* I would also love for people who are interested in donating money to come to me instead and see if their money could be used in a way in which it could earn more. For example, someone wanting to donate $80 could instead buy nearly 200 cans of Coke from Aldi. If we were to sell these at $1 a can on the day, their $80 donation could be turned into $200 for the charity! Crazy perhaps but I think it has promise!
* At Melbourne 3 Day Event this year, Amanda Howell was trying to raise money and awareness for the Breast Cancer Network, and she provided rump stencils, as well as pink spray and chalk so that any of the riders who wanted to could stencil the pink lady onto their horse's rump for cross country. I think it would be great to have either Team Fox, or Ride To A Cure stencils for our cross country, and ask each of the riders to decorate their horses!
Ride To A Cure was an idea I had a day or so ago, and because of the way it keeps growing I thought I should start this blog, so that when the event actually comes around people will be ready to support it!
The aim of Ride To A Cure is to hold a Pony Club level One Day Event in order to raise money for the Michael J. Fox Foundation. The idea would be that every dollar spent in entries or on the day would go directly to the foundation. The Foundation itself was set up by Michael J. Fox (funnily enough) with its aim being to help find a cure for Parkinson's Disease. The exciting thing about this Foundation, and the whole thing, is that it is highly likely that a cure will be found in THIS generation, and to be a part of that would (I believe) be an honour.
If you would like more information on the Michael J. Fox Foundation or Parkinson's Disease please look at their website: michaeljfoxfoundation.org . If you would like to become a member of Team Fox (something I will be doing in the next few days and registering this event with them) go to teamfox.org and join up.
Obviously a date has not been set for the event yet, but I do have a few plans for it laid out already:
* The entry fee for each rider will be around $30. This means that if we can manage to find 100 riders we have an instant $3,000 to give to the Foundation before we even start.
* I would love it if each rider could try to find sponsors for their ride. I am thinking along the lines of the MS readathon here, where they would ask friends and family members to sponsor them if they complete the event by putting money towards the cause. Obviously the donations wouldn't have to be huge, but it would be a way of gaining support from those who don't necessarily ride or have an interest in Pony Club, but do have a 'horse crazy niece/nephew/grandchild' etc etc.
* I would love for all the prizes for the placings in each level to be totally donated (I am running with this goal of giving 100%, in which case the event itself can't cost us anything)
* I would also love for people who are interested in donating money to come to me instead and see if their money could be used in a way in which it could earn more. For example, someone wanting to donate $80 could instead buy nearly 200 cans of Coke from Aldi. If we were to sell these at $1 a can on the day, their $80 donation could be turned into $200 for the charity! Crazy perhaps but I think it has promise!
* At Melbourne 3 Day Event this year, Amanda Howell was trying to raise money and awareness for the Breast Cancer Network, and she provided rump stencils, as well as pink spray and chalk so that any of the riders who wanted to could stencil the pink lady onto their horse's rump for cross country. I think it would be great to have either Team Fox, or Ride To A Cure stencils for our cross country, and ask each of the riders to decorate their horses!
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