Things We Do For Money

Published November 2009

Please don’t be misled by the title of today’s column. I’m not referring to anything even remotely inappropriate by any means but instead I’d like to take a closer look at fundraising and the ways certain individuals go about doing just that.

Fundraising. Easily the most noble of financial activities to engage in. Provided the appropriate end result is achieved there is absolutely nothing wrong in doing your part towards making someone else’s life a little easier, ensuring that a valuable service continues to assist those in need, or even to raise awareness for health, animal welfare and environmental issues.

Let’s take my good friend Sue Chong-Hartley for example. Apart from having exceeding amounts of energy and getting stuck-in for a myriad of good causes, Sue is someone who genuinely believes that every little bit helps, regardless of how little or small a contribution may be. A current project that she is involved in is the Sun Bear conservation program as a member of LEAP or Land Empowerment Animals People - a group that focuses on sustainable ecological co-existence. I am merely skimming the surface on LEAP, and I fully intend to write about the fantastic work that they do in much more detail soon.

My point for mentioning Sue is that she is one who is willing to go the distance for the right causes. Back in the day – and we’re looking at a good 15 years ago - Sue was an experienced mid to long distance runner. Granted some time had passed since her last competition but it didn’t deter her from signing up for the 2008 Borneo International Marathon’s 21KM Halfer with the intention of raising funds. And raise them she did. She approached her large network of friends and acquaintances for donations and I have to say that she did a stellar job in raising a few thousand Ringgit which went towards two local organizations. These two groups were involved in work that resonated with her for personal reasons and she wanted to do her part to help.

On the morning of October 12^th 2008, Sue donned her marathon get-up (complete with clown wig and frilly tutu) and hit the tarmac. True, her costume made her one of the marathon’s most photographed runners (along with Singapore’s Cat Woman and Sarawakian superblogger Kenny Sia), but she did her 21KM’s and achieved her target. A very sore body and several lost toenails (six to be precise) in return were sacrifices that she took in her stride. To say that she is someone I am proud to call my friend would be a serious understatement. I’ve never told her that in person. I hope she reads this here today.

Marathons, while not the only source of fundraising, seem to do a good job of encouraging just that. Andrew Voon, another person I am happy to call a friend and who is also race director of the Borneo International Marathon, felt it would be a good idea to raise money for his very first marathon in Singapore back in 2006. With support from friends he managed to garner approximately RM14,400 for the Singapore Breast Cancer Foundation. This was followed by him taking part in the Laguna Phuket Marathon in 2007. He was able to raise RM16,720 which was donated to the SOS Heart Fund, Kudat Emmanuel Home and Kota Kinabalu AIDS Services & Information Hub.

A portion of these funds were also used to help purchase a prosthetic limb for Maidol, a man living in a remote village here in Sabah who’s leg was crushed by a falling tree. Race directors for the Sabah Adventure Challenge had come across Maidol while surveying the area for their upcoming event and quick thinking on their part saved his life, although so much damage was done to his femur that his leg had to be amputated. Thanks to the generosity of many including the SAC team, Fieldskills and Andrew himself, Maidol was fitted with a prosthetic limb and was able to return to living a normal and productive life.

Those efforts didn’t stop Andrew from returning to the Singapore Marathon later that same year and this time he raised RM13,000 – the recipients of which included Sri Mengasih and Nasam as well as the local organizations listed earlier.

I’d also like to highlight the antics of an old high-school friend of mine, Samad Masood. Now Samad, usually clean shaven and reasonably conservative in dress, decided that it would be a good idea to get involved with a group calling themselves Movember.

The Movember Foundation is a global non-profit charity men’s health initiative. Each November, members or Mo Bros, put away their razors for a month. The objective is pretty clear. Grow a moustache and raise vital funds in the process.

Movember works towards changing men’s perceptions, habits and attitudes on health specifically on prostate cancer – thereby improving chances of early detection and effective treatment. This unique and light-hearted approach towards a serious health risk has worked, with millions of dollars being raised around the world each year.

I debated but decided against posting Samad’s before and almost-after photos here, to highlight a perfectly normal looking man now sporting a ‘tache that looks more at home on one of The Village People or a character straight out of the cult classic Easy Rider. But he puts up with the jokes and the good natured ribbing from us. Why? Because he sees the bigger picture. His tiny gesture helps. Every little bit helps.

I am aware that there are countless individuals out there working towards a plethora of good causes. And many of their efforts regularly go unrecognised, which is not the best state of affairs by any means.

But I guess what I’m trying to say here today is that for us 9 to 5 office folk, please try to think outside the box if you haven’t already. There are always ways to get people interested and involved in doing the right thing. Challenge yourself and see what you can accomplish. Doing your part doesn’t always mean waiting for a black tie gala dinner to happen, though those are usually pretty successful.

If you’re sincere and genuine about doing something good, then just get out there and do it. When there’s a will, there’s a way. As Apple maestro Steve Jobbs said: “Let’s make a dent in the universe.”

Sources: leapspiral.org/uk.movemberfoundation.com