Run for Rwanda, Cycle for Sudan (plus: Beach BBQ!)

Submitted by goblinrocker on Sun, 2008/04/13 - 20:49.
2008/04/27 - 10:00
2008/04/27 - 17:00
Event Information:

WHAT:
A 10K run/cycle on the beach to raise funds and awareness for Rwanda and Darfur. 5K will be bicycling, 5K will be running/jogging/walking (depending on your level of fitness!). Don't worry about bringing your bike from Gunma, we're coordinating with local bike rental shops to have bicycles available.

WHEN:
Sunday, April 27, 2008, 10AM start

WHERE:
Chigasaki Beach, Chigasaki City, Kanagawa-ken, JAPAN

WHY:
Following the Holocaust in the Second World War, the world pledged to "never again" allow genocide. Yet the world was slow to react in the spring of 1994 when over 800,000 Tutsis were systematically executed in the tiny African nation of Rwanda.

Although Rwanda is now rebuilding, the legacy of the 1994 genocide continues to affect the livelihoods of communities, including a large number of orphans and widows, throughout the country.

The world's headlines are now chronicling the first genocide of the twenty-first century in Darfur, Sudan. And although human rights activists across the globe are rising in protest, the killing and burning continue.

This is not the time for feelings of apathy or helplessness. This is a time for action.

We know there are many of you out there who want to help, but don't know how. We invite you to join us at the beach this spring to help raise much-needed funds and much-needed awareness about the ongoing problems in Rwanda and the current crisis in Darfur. Participation requires a minimum of 1,000 yen donation, but we encourage you to ask your friends, family members, and coworkers to sponsor you for additional fund donations. Every yen counts! Even more importantly, with every person you ask to sponsor you, you are raising awareness about these issues. Just think: if every participant got 10 people to sponsor them at 1,000 yen each, that's 10,000 yen (about USD$100)!

Funds will go primarily to the Imbabazi Orphanage in Gisenyi, Rwanda, the charity Association de Solidarité des Femmes Rwandaises (ASOFERWA), and school-building projects. The funds will be hand-delivered to these recipients by the event hosts, who will be honeymooning in East Africa this summer. Rest assured that ALL of the money will go directly to needy organizations in Africa.

In addition, at the event we will have letter-writing materials and documentation about the current crisis in the Sudan, in order to promote general awareness of this problem and to encourage instant on-site activism projects. Intense political pressure is required NOW in order to shift the deepening Darfur crisis toward a more hopeful resolution.

When the run/cycle is over, please join us for a beachside BBQ and picnic! This is a community event, so please bring a dish to share with your new friends. We also welcome additional suggestions for both the global enlightenment and community entertainment aspects of this event.

LINKS:
We are currently building a website for the event, though it is still very much a work-in-progress: http://www.run4rwanda.org

For information about the Imbabazi Orphanage, see:
http://www.chrf.org/orphan-rwanda.html

For information about ASOFERWA, see http://www.wiserearth.org/organization/view/5fcc7297f5a5218e949b44e923c1...

Finally, feel free to print out this PDF file flyer to help spread the word:
runforrwanda.pdf

Please contact us (Soness and Daniel) as soon as possible if you are interested in being a part of this project!

Event Location:

Chigasaki Beach (T-bar), Chigasaki-shi, Kanagawa-ken
Nearest station: JR Chigasaki

Event Directions:

From Takasaki, take the Shonan-Shinjuku line south to Chigasaki (you will not need to make any transfers). The journey by local train will take a little less than three hours and costs ¥2520.

Depart through the south exit of Chigasaki station and head straight down the main road for about 15-20 minutes until you reach the ocean. Turn left and walk down the boardwalk about 500m until you see the large sand-and-rock formation shaped like a T jutting out into the ocean (this is the T-bar). On a typical weekend morning it will be crowded with surfers.

Event Contact Information:

For more information, please contact Daniel Simmons (goblinrocker@mac.com, 090-7187-0998) or Soness Stevens (soness@hotmail.com, 080-5174-7464).

AttachmentSize
runforrwanda.pdf86.66 KB
»
smoersfelder's picture

Sooooo disappointed!

Submitted by smoersfelder on Mon, 2008/04/14 - 11:10.

I am SO bummed I can't make this event! My sister will be in town that weekend and we're booked up to be elsewhere. BUT, I am VERY excited to see this event organized and sincerely hope there will be more in the future. This combines my love of physical activity with social awareness - especially for a cause very near and dear to my heart. If anyone wants to sweat up my "Save Darfur" t-shirt and make me feel like a part of me is there, it's all yours! I'd also like to donate some money, so if anyone in the Maebashi area is going, I'll hook you up with the yen.
Sounds like a blast, so I encourage everyone to hop on. Also, you should check out these websites:
www.savedarfur.org
http://www.invisiblechildren.com (unrelated to the Rwanda Run or Darfur, but equally disturbing situation and a great organization that really makes change happen. There's a new documentary coming out in the fall of this year which I am very interested in having a screening and some events for. If anyone else is interested, let me know!)
Anyways, ganbatte everyone!

goblinrocker's picture

Thanks for the support

Submitted by goblinrocker on Tue, 2008/04/15 - 00:17.

Hey Sarah,

Thanks for the event well-wishes. Sorry you yourself can't make it, but yeah, if you could sponsor someone and/or spread the word, we'd really really appreciate it!!

So, Gunma: who among ye will take up Moersfelder's coat/shirt of arms and go the distance?

Drop us a line!
Daniel

phill's picture

can i just run the 10 k?

Submitted by phill on Tue, 2008/04/15 - 14:44.

can i just run the 10 k?

goblinrocker's picture

10 K

Submitted by goblinrocker on Tue, 2008/04/15 - 23:23.

If you mean "can I just run the 10 K instead of running 5 K and bicycling 5 K?" -- sure! :P It will be great to have you, Phill!

phill's picture

Awesome man! I will be

Submitted by phill on Wed, 2008/04/16 - 11:44.

Awesome man!

I will be there. It's about time we meet up.

Still remember that Beer Garden in Queens?

Dann0's picture

haha

Submitted by Dann0 on Wed, 2008/04/16 - 12:54.

yeh I imagine it would be a bit hard going doing 5k on the ol' mamachari.Actually, even though 10k would probably near kill me at the moment, I'm kinda keen too, especially if its anywhere near warm enough to go in the water( as long as its not septic or full of jellyfish). What happened to the football plans..are we stalled on that one?

phill's picture

i havent seen my friend yet.

Submitted by phill on Wed, 2008/04/16 - 13:42.

i havent seen my friend yet. i don't know if he bought the football.

Dann0's picture

i might

Submitted by Dann0 on Wed, 2008/04/16 - 14:08.

I might go try and find a rugby ball this weekend. Ive been meaning to line up some JHS students to smash muwhahahah

Dann0's picture

on that topic..

Submitted by Dann0 on Wed, 2008/04/16 - 14:15.

Does anyone know of a big sports store that might stock that sort of thing? So far Ive only seen tennis racquets, soccer(football) balls and basket balls. Its a bit sad that rugby is still such a minority sport in Gunma, even though the local team won the Championship!!
Go Sanyo Wild Knights!! ( Based in Ota).

goblinrocker's picture

bikes and sports shops

Submitted by goblinrocker on Wed, 2008/04/16 - 23:19.

Re: bikes... Soness and I are headed to some bike rental shops in Chigasaki tomorrow morning to see if they'll donate the use of some bikes for the event. Even if they don't, rentals are really really cheap here (think: a coupla hundred yen per day).

Re: sports stores, have you tried the big sport store DEPOT, in Takasaki? Or Himaraya Sports along route 17, between Takasaki and Maebashi?

p.s. Phill: of COURSE I remember the beer garden!

phill's picture

i don't know if I ever told

Submitted by phill on Thu, 2008/04/17 - 15:54.

i don't know if I ever told you what happened that night.
it was one of the craziest nights i have ever had in NYC.

goblinrocker's picture

I look forward to hearing

Submitted by goblinrocker on Fri, 2008/04/18 - 11:34.

I look forward to hearing the juicy details. :P

takegimi's picture

Thank you for organizing the run/bike event!

Submitted by takegimi on Mon, 2008/04/28 - 08:50.

I had no idea it would be so much fun and I'm so glad I went - I'm not even that sore. The beach was beautiful, the weather was perfect, and the food and company were wonderful.

Props to all those who participated! I'm not sure exactly how much the event raised but I think it was a fair sum.

Judith
CIR/PA
Gunma