Introducing Hanoi 2 HCMC 2014

The reins have officially been passed! H2H 2014 is in good hands and preparations are in full swing! Here's a brief update about what's been happening this season.

Recruitment began this past September and October. An application process was implemented for the first time because of a high volume of inquiries after the ride in 2013. Although the application process may have seemed daunting, I saw it as a necessary addition as H2H has gained increasing popularity, which can only be expected to grow exponentially in years to come. Having enough motivation to fill out the application is the first step to having enough motivation to complete the ride. With that said, I have a wonderful group of 18 highly motivated and enthusiastic riders, and there's still room for one more!

The H2H 2014 members come from all different backgrounds, many of which have previous experience in fundraising, endurance events, and displays of good sportsmanship. I can even recall meeting some of the newbies the very day H2H 2013 arrived in Saigon! I have all the confidence in the world that H2H 2014 is going to be nothing short of an incredible experience, and we've only just gotten our feet wet. 

 It's my pleasure to introduce:

Caitlin, Colette, Becky,

Andrew, Helen, Danny M.,

Danny W., Alex, Jacqui,

Luke, Paul, Natasha,

Jeff, Jon, Lily,

Kaitlin, Matt, & Rob.

Throughout November, I spent my time rekindling the relationships with our previous charitable beneficiaries. We plan on supporting the following: Saigon Children's Charity, The Children's Initiative, ILACN, Know One Teach One Saigon, and Live & Give. Each of our charities has been chosen because of H2H's vision to break the cycle of poverty in Vietnam by supporting children through education and healthcare. The missions and visions of the following charities align with everything that H2H stands for, making each of them suitable candidates to continue ongoing partnership. To read more about each charity, please read more at each of their websites:

www.saigonchildren.com

www.childrensinitative.org

www.koto.com.au

www.facebook.com/ilacommunitynetwork

www.liveandgive.edu

Our first fundraising event was held on December 12th. It was an annual pub quiz that we have at The Spotted Cow. This event crept up on us so fast. We had locked in our charities, started our training rides, and all of a sudden our first team fundraising event was here! As I first strolled up to the third floor of The Cow, I was blown away that the entire floor was filled with people and nowhere to sit. It was merely 9:45 and the place was packed full! Becky had been going around collecting admission/donations from all of the teams. Rob and Matt were anxious to get the quiz started. I was nervous to introduce H2H to the crowd, but luckily it was so loud that I couldn't even hear myself. The next two hours were filled with brainteasers, laughter, prizes, and the clinking sounds of glasses.

 Has anybody mentioned that in the previous four years H2H has collectively donated over $134,000?! Now, it is my pleasure to announce that the collective total is already greater than $135,000! That's right, at our first little pub quiz event, my team raised OVER one thousand dollars!! One-thousand-one-hundred-and-fifty-five-dollars to be exact! Incredible! Let's not forget that 100% of our funding proceeds go directly to the charities! Hats off and three cheers to Matt Taylor, Rob Webster, and Becky Chimel for organizing the first team event and pulling it off with astounding success!

My confidence in this team is beaming. I'm continuing to look forward to every aspect of H2H 2014 including the training rides, more events around the city, to the actual ride itself. It's all just beginning, and I'm proud to say that we're rolling with momentum!

Words by Andrea