The 25000 Spins Story

25000 Spins is a non-profit business dedicated to making a difference to children in need. Their vision is to not only make the lives of children better but to empower and challenge people to get involved in the cause through physical challenges.

Craig Shipton was living in London back in 2008 when he decided to do something that would help some of the one billion children in our world who live in poverty. Craig joined me on the phone this afternoon during my program on 98.5 Sonshine FM.

I talked to Craig about why he created 25000 Spins, what the name means, what they’ve achieved so far and what plans are in place. You can listen to our conversation by clicking the play button on the audio player at the bottom of this post.

25000 Spins is of particular interest to me because I’ll be cycling with Craig and a group of others next month. The video below explains why I’m so passionate about riding with 25000 Spins. In it I tell the story of escaping Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti, as rioting escalated and smoke from burning barricades filled the air.

Having seen first hand, both in Haiti and Dominican Republic, how effective Compassion’s work is, I am determined to do more to help. That’s why from the 12th to the 14th of February 2012 I’ll be taking part in the 25000 Spins Great Ocean Road Challenge.

I’ll be riding 290 kilometres in three days and I need your support. By sponsoring my efforts on the challenge you’ll be releasing children from poverty. You’ll be giving children a real chance at life. Please visit my fundraising page and make a contribution. Maybe you can afford to sponsor me for a dollar a kilometre, maybe 50 cents a kilometre, or perhaps you’d just like to donate $10, $20, $50 or any other amount.

The other thing I’d ask you to do is to spread the video as far and as wide as you can so that it make the biggest impact in releasing children from poverty. Please put it on your blog, share it on Facebook, use the sharing buttons below and do whatever else you can do to help raise much needed funding to support the work of Compassion.

[audio:http://mpegmedia.sonshinefm.ws/feeds/MOR190112_1246.mp3]

Do you think some of your friends would enjoy reading The 25000 Spins Story? Please use the buttons below to share the post. Thanks.

Have we forgotten Haiti?

It’s a story we seem to have let slip into history. Just before 5:00 p.m. local time on Tuesday the 12th of January 2010, two years ago today, a a 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit just outside Port-au-Prince, the capital of the impoverished nation of Haiti. Within the first fortnight after that event, at least 52 major aftershocks had been recorded.

The quake killed around 220 000, injured more than 300 000 and affected 3.5 million people. Even before the quake, 86% of people in Port au Prince were living in slum conditions. Compassion was there and continues to work with the people of Haiti.

While we heard story after story about the tragedy in the weeks immediately following the earthquake, the plight of the Haitian people has already faded from our TV screens and newspapers. The rebuilding isn’t even close to being finished but we’ve already moved on.

Compassion International has been working in Haiti for over forty years so they were one of the first aid agencies to begin helping the people of the affected area. They’re committed to the people of Haiti and they’ll continue to help them in the years and even decades that it will take to return life to what we might consider normal.

Just ten days after the quake I spoke to Tim Glenn from Compassion live from Haiti. You can hear that radio interview by clicking the play button on the audio player at the bottom of this post.

Over the past couple of months I’ve been looking back at my visit to Haiti and Dominican Republic with Compassion Australia in April 2008. That visit is the main reason I’m passionate about taking park in the 25000 Spins Great Ocean Road Challenge. Next month I’ll be riding 290 kilometres in three days and I need your support. By sponsoring my efforts on the challenge you’ll be releasing children from poverty. You’ll be giving children a real chance at life. Please visit my fundraising page and make a contribution. Maybe you can afford to sponsor me for a dollar a kilometre, maybe 50 cents a kilometre, or perhaps you’d just like to donate $10, $20, $50 or any other amount.

The ride isn’t specifically raising money for Haiti but I know that whatever is raised will go to those who need it most right now. Please consider how much you can afford to give.

[audio:http://mpegmedia.sonshinefm.ws/feeds/MOR220110_0949.mp3]

Do you think some of your friends would enjoy reading Have we forgotten Haiti?? Please use the buttons below to share the post. Thanks.

Cycling to Release Children from Poverty

Please take the time to watch the video above. In it I tell the story of escaping Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti, as rioting escalated and smoke from burning barricades filled the air.

Haiti is just one country where Compassion is working. All over the world, often in difficult circumstances, Compassion is working to release children from poverty. They can only do their job if we’re prepared to get involved.

Having seen first hand, both in Haiti and Dominican Republic, how effective Compassion’s work is, I am determined to do more to help. That’s why from the 12th to the 14th of February 2012 I’ll be taking part in the 25000 Spins Great Ocean Road Challenge.

I’ll be riding 290 kilometres in three days and I need your support. By sponsoring my efforts on the challenge you’ll be releasing children from poverty. You’ll be giving children a real chance at life. Please visit my fundraising page and make a contribution. Maybe you can afford to sponsor me for a dollar a kilometre, maybe 50 cents a kilometre, or perhaps you’d just like to donate $10, $20, $50 or any other amount.

The other thing I’d ask you to do is to spread the video as far and as wide as you can so that it make the biggest impact in releasing children from poverty. Please put it on your blog, share it on Facebook, use the sharing buttons below and do whatever else you can do to help raise much needed funding to support the work of Compassion.



Do you think some of your friends would enjoy reading Cycling to Release Children from Poverty? Please use the buttons below to share the post. Thanks.

Taking the Challenge

In my previous post I told you about joining the 25000 Spins Great Ocean Road Challenge to raise funds for Compassion.

I’ll be riding around 290 kilometres over three days to release children from poverty. I’ve seen Compassion’s work first hand in Haiti and Dominican Republic so I know it makes a real difference.

One of the other riders on the challenge is Andrew Streat, Marketing Director for Compassion Australia. Andrew’s based in New South Wales, on the other side of Australia, so I won’t get to ride with him until the event in February but I’m looking forward to meetin him and the others who are riding for a great cause.

Prior to joining Compassion, Andrew worked in a number of different fields and areas, including spending a decade in the Air Force travelling through Asia and Australia, picking up a managerial position in a Health and Fitness Centre, working with mentally disabled adults as a Diversional Therapist for Hunter Mission, and giving 15 years to various marketing and managerial roles with Pfizer Pharmaceuticals.

Joining Compassion in 2010, Andrew now heads up the marketing team by taking the common vision of seeing children released from poverty in Jesus’ name, and sharing this vision with supporters and child advocates throughout Australia. Andrew’s favourite quote, “stand for something or fall for anything” infiltrates all his actions as Marketing Director, as he seeks to show the Australian people why Compassion stands for children living in poverty, and how they can help advocate against this injustice.

Andrew is also a man of many hidden talents: he enjoys painting artworks, learning the violin, drinking good coffee and spending quality time surfing with his wife, Kim.

Today on my Morning Café radio program I spoke to Andrew about the challenge and how the money raised would be used to release children from poverty. You can click the play button on the audio player below to listen to our conversation.

[audio:http://mpegmedia.sonshinefm.ws/feeds/MOR201211_1125.mp3]

Do you think some of your friends would enjoy reading Taking the Challenge? Please use the buttons below to share the post. Thanks.

Pedalling Compassion

In April 2008 I escaped Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti, as rioting escalated and smoke from burning barricades filled the air. I was part of a media team travelling with Compassion Australia, there to see their aid work in one of the world’s very poorest nations. We were meant to be there for about a week but were evacuated within 48 hours of arriving due to the rapidly changing situation. Some Haitians had died and many more had been injured. We had been far too close to some of the rioting for comfort.

We had a very difficult journey to the airport and at times we were in very real danger. We finally hooked up with some armed police who escorted us to the airport. We were to fly to Dominican Republic but the flight was cancelled. The airline was not prepared to fly into Haiti. Later that day we finally made it out with another airline.

Haitians were rioting because they had nothing to eat and were unable to provide food for their families. That’s the kind of place that Compassion works.

It Gets Worse

On Tuesday the 12th of January last year a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti, killing around 220 000, injuring more than 300 000 and affecting 3.5 million people. Even before the quake, 86% of people in Port au Prince were living in slum conditions. Compassion was there and continues to work with the people of Haiti.

Something Must Be Done

Haiti is just one country where Compassion is working. All over the world, often in difficult circumstances, Compassion is working to release children from poverty. They can only do their job if we’re prepared to get involved. Since that trip to Haiti our family has sponsored a boy from Haiti through Compassion. It’s a small contribution but we know we’re making a difference.

Let’s Ride

Having seen first hand, both in Haiti and Dominican Republic, how effective Compassion’s work is, I am determined to do more to help. That’s why from the 12th to the 14th of February 2012 I’ll be taking part in the 25000 Spins Great Ocean Road Challenge.

I’ll be riding 290 kilometres in three days and I need your support. By sponsoring my efforts on the challenge you’ll be releasing children from poverty. You’ll be giving children a real chance at life. Please visit my fundraising page and make a contribution. Maybe you can afford to sponsor me for a dollar a kilometre, maybe 50 cents a kilometre, or perhaps you’d just like to donate $10, $20, $50 or any other amount.

When I think of all the opportunities I provide for my own children, I can’t sit back without offering the most basic of opportunities to someone else’s child. My parent’s heart won’t allow me to do nothing.



Do you think some of your friends would enjoy reading Pedalling Compassion? Please use the buttons below to share the post. Thanks.