25 October 2009
ROTARY BIKE-A-FUND - END POLIO NOW
by Rtn. Andrew Charles

On Sunday, 18 October 2009 the Rotary Club of Bali Seminyak (RCBS) held its annual fundraising event.

The Bike-A-Fund was described by President-elect Robert Kempner as a relaxing bicycle tour‚ whereby individual members encouraged companies / individuals to sponsor them by agreeing to contribute an amount of money for every kilometre completed. The planned 25 k (Batur Trail™) Mountain Cycling Tour with SOBEK, ‘The Adventure Specialists’, started at Kintamani and finished at the picturesque village of Tampaksiring near Ubud.

The day began early at the Sobek office in Kuta from where everyone travelled by bus to a restaurant at Kintamani. The spectacular views over Lake Batur and the mountains and light breakfast were a pleasant way to start the hopefully enjoyable ‘hard work’ of raising funds.

After receiving a brief safety talk from the Sobek guides, each person was given a free pair of cycling gloves, a bottle of Aqua and instructed to select a bike in preparation of heading off to Tampaksiring. Frequent stops along the way gave the riders the opportunity to visit some agricultural sites, Balinese temples and traditional villages. These stops offer some unique insights into Bali that are not commonly experienced during a ‘normal’ guided tour.

Sadly at 13:00 before most riders realised it, the ride was over. However, ready to greet the somewhat exhausted riders were the Sobek crew. They had some very refreshing ice-cold towels and mini vans ready to transport the ‘winners’ to a lovely little restaurant located in Nyuh Kuning. Everyone enjoyed the delicious buffet, before being taken back to the Sobek office to make their weary way home.

All members of RCBS and their friends and families were eligible to take part in this fundraiser. Members who were reluctant to tackle the mountain were encouraged to give some form of financial support to the participants. For this outing, thirty-two BRAVE individuals took to the road to help the RCBS reach its fundraising target. The minimum contribution was set at Rp.10,000 per kilometre, so anyone pledging this amount for a rider who completed the course, was asked for the sum of Rp. 250,000.

The aim this year was to raise a sum in excess of Rp.10 million to contribute to The Rotary International Foundation ”END POLIO NOW” program. Surprisingly, after all the sponsors had paid their pledges, the total amount raised from the activity was near Rp.15 million - far more than the original target.
Finally; a special thank you to Ms Handari A. Himawan, Director of Sales & Marketing of SOBEK, for offering the cycles at a very much reduced fee.