Donations sought - Cricket Without Boundaries

[Shropshire Seagull]

Hi good folk of NSC

I've offered my services for 2 weeks cricket coaching in Botswana in Apr 2013 for the Cricket Without Boundaries charity - but first I have to raise a minimum of £750 for the charity to purchase cricket kit that we take out with us and then leave behind as a lasting legacy for the kids to use after we return.

Here's my Just Giving page which has more details: http://JustGiving.com/Martin-Fears

The key purpose of the visit isn't just to coach cricket but also to provide prevention education and awareness of the HIV/AIDS epidemic of sub-Saharan Africa. An estimated 20% of the kids I'll be coaching are orphans of this killer disease, some already have the virus.

I know many of you are cash strapped but please give generously [as much or as little as you can afford] to this worthwhile cause. You can even use PayPal if you'd prefer. NSC always seems to have 600+ users viewing so if you all do your bit I should be well on the way to achieving the required target.

Your in Cricket ....

 

[hitony]

Hi good folk of NSC

I've offered my services for 2 weeks cricket coaching in Botswana in Apr 2013 for the Cricket Without Boundaries charity - but first I have to raise a minimum of £750 for the charity to purchase cricket kit that we take out with us and then leave behind as a lasting legacy for the kids to use after we return.

Here's my Just Giving page which has more details: http://JustGiving.com/Martin-Fears

The key purpose of the visit isn't just to coach cricket but also to provide prevention education and awareness of the HIV/AIDS epidemic of sub-Saharan Africa. An estimated 20% of the kids I'll be coaching are orphans of this killer disease, some already have the virus.

I know many of you are cash strapped but please give generously [as much or as little as you can afford] to this worthwhile cause. You can even use PayPal if you'd prefer. NSC always seems to have 600+ users viewing so if you all do your bit I should be well on the way to achieving the required target.

Your in Cricket ....

I will make this a sticky for a bit and hope it helps your cause, Good Luck

 

[zeetha]

Done! My cousin runs a charity for those affected by HIV/AIDs in Zambia so I know how much this sort of work is needed...

 

[Bozza]

I'm unsticking this, which is no reflection on my thoughts as to the worthiness of the charity.

I'm probably asked about 5-10 times a week for similar and the top of the board would be constantly jammed with charity requests if I said 'yes' to them all, and it seems unfair to pick and choose.

Besides - a lot of people never look at the stickies - threads probably get more attention if they're floating around in the main discussion area.

Needless to say - good luck to [MENTION=3125]Shropshire Seagull[/MENTION].

 

[Lokki 7]

I'm thinking of going to Mexico, it has the same GDP per capita as Botswana and lovely sunny weather too. If I insist she wears a condom and I play cricket with her after would someone like to pay my airfare and hotel costs? If so I will start a just giving page. Thanks in advance the good folk of NSC.
Sticky?

 

[Moshe Gariani]

I'm thinking of going to Mexico, it has the same GDP per capita as Botswana and lovely sunny weather too. If I insist she wears a condom and I play cricket with her after would someone like to pay my airfare and hotel costs? If so I will start a just giving page. Thanks in advance the good folk of NSC.
Sticky?

Harsh but ever so fair Lokki. The proliferation of people jetting to sunny climes to do good and asking others to pay their airfare is getting ridiculous.

Do something to raise money, or give your own money, and send it to them. They can then pay a local person to do for a few months what you are planning on doing for a few days.

My favourite one was someone who was going to go cycling in Cuba - I think that might have been on here too...

 

[hans kraay fan club]

It might seem a little harsh, but I'm with Lokki and Moshe on this. If someone wants to spend their summer holiday teaching Kids in Botswana to play cricket, or building a school in Mali, or walking the Great Wall of China, rather than spending it by a pool, that's great, and I truly hope they have a brilliant, rewarding time.

But if such a wonderful trip is your adventure of choice, why would you not save up the £750 yourself to fund it?

 

[Stumpy Tim]

It might seem a little harsh, but I'm with Lokki and Moshe on this. If someone wants to spend their summer holiday teaching Kids in Botswana to play cricket, or building a school in Mali, or walking the Great Wall of China, rather than spending it by a pool, that's great, and I truly hope they have a brilliant, rewarding time.

But if such a wonderful trip is your adventure of choice, why would you not save up the £750 yourself to fund it?

Because you could probably find some sad sacks to pay for you of course

 

[Driver8]

It might seem a little harsh, but I'm with Lokki and Moshe on this. If someone wants to spend their summer holiday teaching Kids in Botswana to play cricket, or building a school in Mali, or walking the Great Wall of China, rather than spending it by a pool, that's great, and I truly hope they have a brilliant, rewarding time.

But if such a wonderful trip is your adventure of choice, why would you not save up the £750 yourself to fund it?

Isn't the £750 to pay for kit for the kids not fund the trip?

 

[Djmiles]

Isn't the £750 to pay for kit for the kids not fund the trip?

Ah but that would get in the way of a NSC binfest. Let's just pretend he didn't say that and let the binfest continue.

As you were.

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

You chaps have the wrong end of the stick here and are bang out of order IMHO.

My appeal was for the £750 required by the charity to fund their costs and the equipment they provide [not to me].

I'll be taking two weeks of my holiday and, as I'm self employed, that's two weeks of no pay - easily my donation.
I have to fund my own flights, transfers [to Gabarone] and inoculations - likely to be around £1,000. I'm not asking for anything towards that cost.
We will be working 12 of the 14 days we are there and one of the days will be a travel day to Francistown - not quite the same as sitting round a pool drinking cold beer.

I've coached in schools in the UK and with the county squad as a paid professional coach - I'm not being paid a penny for my services by this charity.

Fair enough if you don't want to contribute, but please keep your negative / sarky thoughts to yourself.

Perhaps if you read some of the charity site http://www.cricketwithoutboundaries.com/Top-Level/volunteer.htm you'd understand better how it works.
Maybe a donation to redeem your misplaced view of my motives .... hmmm.

Edit:
No, I don't see any of you as "sad sacks" - I thought of you as fellow Albion supporters who share a common interest in sport - especially when linked to doing something for the good of fellow man. I've seen posts in the past where an appeal has been made and has been well supported by NSC.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

You chaps have the wrong end of the stick here and are bang out of order IMHO.

My appeal was for the £750 required by the charity to fund their costs and the equipment they provide [not to me].

I'll be taking two weeks of my holiday and, as I'm self employed, that's two weeks of no pay - easily my donation.
I have to fund my own flights, transfers [to Gabarone] and inoculations - likely to be around £1,000. I'm not asking for anything towards that cost.
We will be working 12 of the 14 days we are there and one of the days will be a travel day to Francistown - not quite the same as sitting round a pool drinking cold beer.

I've coached in schools in the UK and with the county squad as a paid professional coach - I'm not being paid a penny for my services by this charity.

Fair enough if you don't want to contribute, but please keep your negative / sarky thoughts to yourself.

Perhaps if you read some of the charity site http://www.cricketwithoutboundaries.com/Top-Level/volunteer.htm you'd understand better how it works.
Maybe a donation to redeem your misplaced view of my motives .... hmmm.

Edit:
No, I don't see any of you as "sad sacks" - I thought of you as fellow Albion supporters who share a common interest in sport - especially when linked to doing something for the good of fellow man. I've seen posts in the past where an appeal has been made and has been well supported by NSC.

Genuinely, I hope you have a brilliant time, and that it's every single bit as rewarding as I imagine it will be. It's exactly the kind of trip that I'd love to make myself.

I don't think anyone is actually questioning the worthiness of the specific charity (in fact I myself, organised the first, or second, NSC 5-a-side tournament in aid, jointly, of the very same charity). The point is more that these days, these requests seem to come up on a weekly basis, which is why [MENTION=6886]Bozza[/MENTION] does not feel able to promote them all.

Good luck, and have a fantastic trip.

 

[Moshe Gariani]

You chaps have the wrong end of the stick here and are bang out of order IMHO.

My appeal was for the £750 required by the charity to fund their costs and the equipment they provide [not to me].

I'll be taking two weeks of my holiday and, as I'm self employed, that's two weeks of no pay - easily my donation.
I have to fund my own flights, transfers [to Gabarone] and inoculations - likely to be around £1,000. I'm not asking for anything towards that cost.
We will be working 12 of the 14 days we are there and one of the days will be a travel day to Francistown - not quite the same as sitting round a pool drinking cold beer.

I've coached in schools in the UK and with the county squad as a paid professional coach - I'm not being paid a penny for my services by this charity.

Fair enough if you don't want to contribute, but please keep your negative / sarky thoughts to yourself.

Perhaps if you read some of the charity site http://www.cricketwithoutboundaries.com/Top-Level/volunteer.htm you'd understand better how it works.
Maybe a donation to redeem your misplaced view of my motives .... hmmm.

Edit:
No, I don't see any of you as "sad sacks" - I thought of you as fellow Albion supporters who share a common interest in sport - especially when linked to doing something for the good of fellow man. I've seen posts in the past where an appeal has been made and has been well supported by NSC.

I'm willing to apologise and agree that SS is personally doing something very UNselfish taking on this trip.

I stand by my instinct, however, that the originally stated "£750 for the charity to purchase cricket kit [...] for the kids" was misleading, and also by the general point that people doing this sort of stuff should pay their own way and think hard about whether the total cost of the trip is the best way of spending the money to most benefit the target population.

 

[Stat Brother]

You chaps have the wrong end of the stick here and are bang out of order IMHO.

My appeal was for the £750 required by the charity to fund their costs and the equipment they provide [not to me].

I'll be taking two weeks of my holiday and, as I'm self employed, that's two weeks of no pay - easily my donation.
I have to fund my own flights, transfers [to Gabarone] and inoculations - likely to be around £1,000. I'm not asking for anything towards that cost.
We will be working 12 of the 14 days we are there and one of the days will be a travel day to Francistown - not quite the same as sitting round a pool drinking cold beer.

I've coached in schools in the UK and with the county squad as a paid professional coach - I'm not being paid a penny for my services by this charity.

Fair enough if you don't want to contribute, but please keep your negative / sarky thoughts to yourself.

Perhaps if you read some of the charity site http://www.cricketwithoutboundaries.com/Top-Level/volunteer.htm you'd understand better how it works.
Maybe a donation to redeem your misplaced view of my motives .... hmmm.

Edit:
No, I don't see any of you as "sad sacks" - I thought of you as fellow Albion supporters who share a common interest in sport - especially when linked to doing something for the good of fellow man. I've seen posts in the past where an appeal has been made and has been well supported by NSC.

Had this been your first post, this thread wouldn't have gone beyond a few positive responses and plenty of donations.

 

[Simster]

You chaps have the wrong end of the stick here and are bang out of order IMHO.

My appeal was for the £750 required by the charity to fund their costs and the equipment they provide [not to me].

I'll be taking two weeks of my holiday and, as I'm self employed, that's two weeks of no pay - easily my donation.
I have to fund my own flights, transfers [to Gabarone] and inoculations - likely to be around £1,000. I'm not asking for anything towards that cost.
We will be working 12 of the 14 days we are there and one of the days will be a travel day to Francistown - not quite the same as sitting round a pool drinking cold beer.

I've coached in schools in the UK and with the county squad as a paid professional coach - I'm not being paid a penny for my services by this charity.

Fair enough if you don't want to contribute, but please keep your negative / sarky thoughts to yourself.

Perhaps if you read some of the charity site http://www.cricketwithoutboundaries.com/Top-Level/volunteer.htm you'd understand better how it works.
Maybe a donation to redeem your misplaced view of my motives .... hmmm.

Edit:
No, I don't see any of you as "sad sacks" - I thought of you as fellow Albion supporters who share a common interest in sport - especially when linked to doing something for the good of fellow man. I've seen posts in the past where an appeal has been made and has been well supported by NSC.

I don't have many thoughts on the matter, beyond the general point that it is unreasonable to ask people you don't even know to stump up (excuse the pun) in order to facilitate your trip. This is a personal opinion of course, but I'd rather put my charity dollar towards an organisation with proven infrastructure in place. Like many others, I'm sure, I have two monthly direct debits to charities of our choice. Apart from that, I'll only contribute to people I know making a commendable effort - a marathon run, a swim across the channel, that sort of thing. I actually got pissed off at a well-off mate of mine touting for sponsorship for a 30 mile cycle ride. As I say, it's a personal thing.

But in the light of this rant of yours, I feel I have to ask - when you say you will be working, do you mean you will be coaching cricket for 12 of the 14 days, or will you be out in the baking sun, building life sustaining infrastructure?

 

[Stat Brother]

I'll only contribute to people I know making a commendable effort - a marathon run, a swim across the channel, that sort of thing. I actually got pissed off at a well-off mate of mine touting for sponsorship for a 30 mile cycle ride. As I say, it's a personal thing.

I got into this with a marathon running colleague.

I refused to sponsor him on a 10km, stating I could never ask for sponsorship for a 50 mile bike ride.

I think you should be testing yourself if you want specific sponsorship for the task.
Failing that it should be 'I doing this event, for that charity, here's there details they and I would welcome your support'.

 

[Common as Mook]

I don't have many thoughts on the matter, beyond the general point that it is unreasonable to ask people you don't even know to stump up (excuse the pun) in order to facilitate your trip. This is a personal opinion of course, but I'd rather put my charity dollar towards an organisation with proven infrastructure in place. Like many others, I'm sure, I have two monthly direct debits to charities of our choice. Apart from that, I'll only contribute to people I know making a commendable effort - a marathon run, a swim across the channel, that sort of thing. I actually got pissed off at a well-off mate of mine touting for sponsorship for a 30 mile cycle ride. As I say, it's a personal thing.

But in the light of this rant of yours, I feel I have to ask - when you say you will be working, do you mean you will be coaching cricket for 12 of the 14 days, or will you be out in the baking sun, building life sustaining infrastructure?

I read it as educating through coaching cricket. I think cricket is used as the tool to educate about AIDS/HIV

 

[Simster]

I got into this with a marathon running colleague.

I refused to sponsor him on a 10km, stating I could never ask for sponsorship for a 50 mile bike ride.

I think you should be testing yourself if you want specific sponsorship for the task.
Failing that it should be 'I doing this event, for that charity, here's there details they and I would welcome your support'.

I totally agree with all of that. But on your last point, a sticky on the main board is not a reasonable request - too many people would want to do it. IMO, the only charity stickies should be for Albion related donations - so a catch-all REMF thread when the time comes, or that memorial garden one that was posted a few days ago. Quite clearly, on an Albion message board, these do have their place.

I read it as educating through coaching cricket. I think cricket is used as the tool to educate about AIDS/HIV

Yeah it sounds worthy enough, I won't argue with that. As I say, I just have my own personal view on giving to charities and equally don't think it's reasonable to expect a sticky on here for all non-Albion related fund raisers.

 

[Wozza]

I read it as educating through coaching cricket. I think cricket is used as the tool to educate about AIDS/HIV

As in, if you have unprotected sex you'll be on a sticky wicket?

If you're going to bowl a maiden over, make sure you have a condom in your pocket?

 

[Common as Mook]

As in, if you have unprotected sex you'll be on a sticky wicket?

If you're going to bowl a maiden over, make sure you have a condom in your pocket?

As i understand, that's pretty much the gist - happy to be proved wrong.

The bat is a rubber jonny, the ball is aids. You always need the bat to make sure you don't get AIDS....