Michelle Jarman
Michelle's Royal Parks Half Marathon page
Fundraising for Starfish Greathearts Foundation
Story
A child is raised by a village - African Proverb
I believe that each person's life is built around 3 elements:
1. People - family, friends, teachers, colleagues
2. Experiences - home, lifestyle (health), birthdays, Christmas
3. Opportunities - education, sport, jobs, travel
For many of us, we know what these 3 elements mean; we are able to apply them to our own lives and draw on fond memories for each one. Some of us may not even think that education is an 'opportunity' - but more an experience because it is guaranteed.
But for the children of the Starfish Greathearts Foundation, they do not know what most of these elements are. These children are vulnerable and orphaned, they live in poverty stricken areas without school or sport activities or any proper meals and some of them are HIV positive.
The charity I have chosen cares for these children and the wider community by working with community based organisations which focus on several projects, a few of which are mentioned below:
- The gift of Education (provides books, stationery, school uniforms and shoes)
- Bakery and food gardens (which provide soup kitchen meals and food parcels) and
- Microfinance (basic financial training on how to save money).
As a proud South African, I have this fantastic opportunity to be able to run the Royal Parks half marathon in London and I would love to make a difference to one or many children's lives by supporting the Starfish Foundation to aid these children in adding as many 'elements' as possible to their lives.
If you have been fortunate enough to fill your life with a few of these elements and would like to give someone else the chance to fill theirs, please 'run alongside me' and help me contribute towards this worthy cause.
Did you know?
£5.50 can provide head to toe health check-up, follow up treatment and care from the Starfish Wellness Wagon nurse;
£22 can provide hot nutritious meals for a vulnerable child for 1 month;
£50 can send a child back to school by providing them with a uniform, school shoes and stationery. (It is vital for the young children of South Africa to attend school in order to have a chance of escaping the cycle of vulnerability and poverty. In South Africa, children need a school uniform in order to attend school.)
£100 can provide equipment for a crèche of 50 children - Starfish funds these crèche's so that the older child of the child headed families (orphaned families) can go to school knowing their younger siblings are safe and cared for.
I leave you with the founding story of the Starfish Greathearts Foundation:
An old man had a habit of early morning walks on the beach. One day, as he looked along the shore, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer. As he came closer he saw that it was a young woman and she was not dancing but was reaching down to the sand, picking up starfish and very gently throwing them into the ocean.
"Young lady," he asked, "Why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?"
"The sun is up, and the tide is going out, and if I do not throw them in they will die."
"But young lady, do you not realise that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it? You cannot possibly make a difference."
The young woman listened politely, paused and then bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea, past the breaking waves, saying: "It made a big difference to that one."
Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.