#kick4life

#14 Running the New York City Marathon

Our friend Pete runs a fantastic charity called Kick4Life that provides holistic care to vulnerable children in Southern Africa including health care, education opportunities, mentoring and support onto employment.

So when he approached Eddie and I about taking part in the New York City marathon in support of this cause, we were excited to get involved. Not only would we get a chance to participate in the world's greatest race, but we'd also be raising awareness and valuable funds to support children in serious need. What an opportunity!

After some hesitation (did I mention that a marathon is 26.2 miles, or 42.2 kms?!) we took the plunge and signed up for the race.

Over the next three months we rallied our family and friends to support Kick4Life through our marathon challenge. We ran hundreds of miles in training and I obsessively collected athletic gear made from thermo-dynamic-something-a-rather that promised to wick away sweat and change your life in the process. 

Finally, race day arrived. On a chilly November morning we donned our placebo gear and boarded the Staten Island Ferry en route to the race start. I'll never forget the beginning of the New York City Marathon. The American national anthem was proudly sung, a cannon fired and off we went to the blaring soundtrack of New York, New York. From the first bridge we had a spectacular view of the Manhattan skyline, while an NYPD chopper hovered in the foreground. The scene was beautiful and totally surreal.

Over the next four hours we ran through the five boroughs of New York. The whole way people cheered and danced and handed out supplies. A colleague and seasoned marathoner had told me to affix my name to my shirt so supporters knew my name. And boy I was glad I did! Every time I hit a physically or phycological wall, I'd just run towards the edge of the road and soak up some encouragement from the crowd "You got this Hannah", "Go Hannah! Quitting is not an option". We were so grateful to see enthusiastic, familiar faces along the way, including some very creative supporter signs!

The last 10km nearly broke my spirit. I felt nauseous from too much energy gel and Gatorade, and there were points when I was convinced that my legs would simply stop working. But thanks to the encouragement of my amazing husband who ran beside me every step of the way, we finally made it across the finish line in Central Park.

Running the New York City marathon was an experience of a lifetime. But what made the experience so special was the fact that we could do it in support of Kick4Life.

Thanks to the generosity of so many family and friends we were able to raise over $6300 toward this truly worthy cause. These fund are already being used to help support some of the world's most vulnerable children.

What do you get if you cross an Italian international footballer with a male supermodel, one of the world's most exciting bands, a star from the musical Wicked, a top American footballer and several hundred New Yorkers? Easy, a brilliant launch event for Kick4Life in the United States!

This week I was fortunate to be present at a stunning gala at the Taj Lounge in Manhattan, the latest landmark moment in Kick4Life's development and the start of another exciting chapter in our journey. The support received in staging this event was staggering, from the celebrity guests and performers, to scores of volunteers, friends and trustees from our UK office and Lesotho, and plenty of new faces with an appetite to get involved. It is important to note that we will not be targeting disadvantaged youth in the US, however worthy this cause. Instead we remain totally focused on Lesotho, with the office in New York raising funds and awareness for our work in the 'Mountain Kingdom'.

On the night I had the chance to chat with hundreds of people from New York Giants wide receiver Ramses Barden to Villarreal striker Giuseppe Rossi, the sparkling actress and singer Penny McNamee and Coyle Girelli, the charismatic front-man of The Chevin. All expressed a real interest in what we are trying to do, and at the heart of it all is a shared appreciation of sport - a great unifier all over the world.  

Growing up in the UK there are several negative stereotypes that we are ingrained with about America. Over the years, having made some great friends across the pond, I've come to realize that these are largely the unfounded product of Britain's scepticism about a bold new nation that would come to usurp its position of world dominance.

But one national trait is undoubtedly true; that Americans have a wonderful entrepreneurial spirit. In New York you can almost taste it in the air, and it is infectious. It has also been evident in the American citizens who have worked and volunteered for Kick4Life in Lesotho over the years, all bringing a 'can-do' attitude that has helped to make Kick4Life the innovative and enterprising organization that it is.

And here is something that we in the UK do best - make great music - check out this track from The Chevin:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ND-PcML6_sI&feature=related

By: Leander Schaerlaeckens

One of soccer’s more prominent charities, Kick4Life, which works to help eradicate HIV in Lesotho, Southern Africa, is hosting a benefit to mark the opening of an American branch in New York City.

Since 2007, Kick4Life has reached more than 25,000 Lesotho children, testing them for HIV, and caring for HIV-related orphans through its Lesotho Football for Hope Centre.

Kick4Life’s fundraising benefit will take place in New York on Oct. 23. It will be attended by, among others, male super model Tyson Beckford (are you listening, ladies?) and New Jersey-born Italy and Villareal striker Giuseppe Rossi (are you listening, soccer fans?).

Also attending are the band The Chevin, fashion designer Indashio, NY Giants’ Ramses Barden, former NBA player Mike Harris and actress Penny McNamee.

The event starts at 7.30pm at the Taj Lounge in Chelsea, New York City.

@Kick4Life Fall Gala-NYC Oct 23rd, 2012. Hosted by Tyson Beckford. http://kick4lifegala.eventbrite.com 

This time two weeks ago there was a disturbance in my house. A cry came from my daughter's bedroom, and knowing that she had recently returned home after a tonsillectomy, my wife Claire and I dashed to her side. She had woken in pain and we carried her to the bathroom where she proceeded to cough up large amounts of blood, screeching in agony. Claire responded quickly, instinctively caring and comforting as best she could.

Having just gone to bed I was wearing only boxer shorts, and in my state of undress felt unprepared to deal with an emergency of any kind. As a result my first instinctive act was to put my trousers on, hardly a life-saving contribution to the unfortunate situation which ensued! Properly adorned I was now ready to help out, and under orders from Claire I dialled 999. Shortly afterwards the paramedics arrived and we were rushed to hospital in an ambulance. By this time the support network of family and friends had already mobilised, and my mother-in-law was on hand to look after our other daughter who had slept blissfully through the whole episode, unaware of her twin sister's plight.

Over the next two days she recovered well, receiving excellent care, attended constantly by Claire. I meanwhile made my way to and from the hospital replenishing provisions and bringing gifts and well wishes. Two weeks on and she is now back in school and hopefully has a healthier future ahead without her susceptible tonsils.

It is at moments such as this that I realise how fortunate I am to be living in the 21st Century, in a developed nation with an enviable health service. 

Last week this became even more apparent when I received an email from the indefatigable Curtis Gardner, Kick4Life's Country Director, about a young lad from Lesotho who was hit by two cars in a traffic accident last week. He is a street kid and comes to Kick4Life everyday, participating in our literacy project and helping out where he can with the recycle scheme - although he is too small to pull a trailer. He has no family, no home, but is seen as a leader amongst the street kids, and is a great little footballer.

In the accident he broke his femur and pelvis but luckily sustained no head or neck injuries so in the long-term will hopefully make a full recovery. Curtis said he was mightily impressed when he visited the lad in hospital. He was lying there with no shoes, with callused, dirty feet, ragged clothes, an IV in his arm, his leg pulled in a traction cast, no family to take care of him. But he was tough and determined, and still in good spirits.

Just a five minute walk from the quiet road where I grew up, Southampton Common is an unusually large wedge of woodland and fields in the heart of the city’s suburban sprawl. Here my friend Stuart Pollard and I spent many hours fishing for carp and roach in the lake, riding our bikes up and down the ‘Bassett Bumps’ and a few years later, and with varying degrees of success on both counts, drinking cider and trying to pull girls. But most of all we played football.

We normally started with a game of ‘three-and-in’ or ‘headers and volleys’, but before long we’d spot another group of kids doing the same thing and it wasn’t long before our ball was intentionally ‘miss-hit’ in their direction. Upon collecting it we’d state the challenge, “Fancy a match?”

Our passion for the game was also fuelled by our love of Southampton Football Club, and during the eighties and early nineties when I lived in the city, the Saints were a decent top flight outfit. The charismatic Dell stadium was half a mile down the road, and for just £1.50 we could stand on the terraces and watch our heroes take on the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United. 

I left Southampton 15 years ago but am occasionally back in the city to visit friends and family. Over the last few years I've had another reason to return, with Southampton FC supporting Kick4Life through donations and fundraising opportunities. This link came via Pete, my brother and Kick4Life co-founder, who used to coach at the club.

Recently this partnership reached another level with a Southampton Supporters Tour to Lesotho planned for February 2013, and we're now looking for fans of the club to join us for an amazing ten-day experience. For Pete and I this is one of the most exciting developments yet in the Kick4Life journey, not only because its our home club, but because it demonstrates how the football industry and football supporters in the UK can make a real difference for some of the world's most disadvantaged children. All through a shared love of the game.

Watch a video about the tour