Hello! Since this is my first post in 2011, I’ll take the opportunity of wishing you a very happy new year, though the newness, while hopefully not the happiness, is slowly rubbing off as we approach March. Since is it does happen to be Valentine’s Day I will also make a point of reminding you that (as always!), I am sending lots of love to all of you family and friends at home :) I hope the rest of the days of your year are equally or even more filled with love and reminders of it.
A lot has indeed happened since last I posted before taking off on my holiday adventures in December. I have stories of beautiful Mozambique and the Tindulas vs. South Africa aka a wonderful vacation with my parents and older brother to relate. As of January 29th, I have also now been living in South Africa for over a year! How did that happen?? To honor the momentous occasion and prepare for another year of bucket baths, I shaved my head :) Those with access to Facebook will have seen a picture and for others, I will try and put one up in a viewable photo album soon. There is of course also more about the goings-on at my site which I will share as well!
Buuut before I get to any of that, I have an opportunity that I need to tell you about, as the end of March draws closer. Yes, it is an opportunity to donate money, for those of you who are so inclined. Every year, a number of South African PCVs (Peace Corps Volunteers) organize to take part in the Longtom Marathon here in SA. It's actually a half- and an ultra-marathon, and I plan to participate in the half, which is 21.1 km (13 miles). It is going to be on March 27 in Sabie, which is in Mpumalanga Province, not too far from Kruger Park. It starts at the top of the Longtom Pass and goes downhill most of the way into Lydenburg. Many PCVs will be taking part, probably over 70 of us, so it's going to be a lot of fun to get together with them for the weekend and run in this beautiful part of the country.
In addition to having a good time though, the main reason for taking part is to support the KLM Foundation. Their website is: www.klm-foundation.org; please check it out! I won't go into all the details of what they do since you can read that on the site, but I'll just say that the organization was founded by two PCVs who served here in South Africa a few years ago. They decided to use the Longtom Marathon as a fundraiser in order to fund a worthy, needy child to attend an excellent independent high school in Mpumalanga called Uplands College. South Africa is a country with a world of potential, and there is nothing more crucial to bringing about the realization of this potential than the education of future leaders. The child they choose for this opportunity is very carefully selected, and the seven children who have been chosen so far are excelling in all respects. I hope after reading about KLM you will find yourself as supportive as I am of their work.
There are a number of other projects I am working on here, and many of you reading are actively involved in supporting them in one way or another, but for anyone still looking for an opportunity to reach out here in SA, or if you find yourself with a little extra cash, this is very worthy project indeed, and one for which I am asking your support. My goal is to get a gold medal (in fundraising even if I can't in the run!) and your donation will help me reach that goal. Please give what you can; any amount is appreciated. Even if you can only give $10 or $20, it is much needed. (Of course, we would love larger donations!) And it is tax-deductible. So please go to the KLM website (www.klm-foundation.org) to make a donation, just click on the 'Donate' photo. Please also make sure to put my name in the white box where it asks for the Longtom runner you want to sponsor.
For those of you family and friends that knew him, I will also be running my half-marathon in memory of Edwin “Bucky” Rossman, my “adopted grandfather" and an old neighbor and long-time family friend who passed away recently. He was kind and wonderful man who was dearly loved by all who knew him. It is appropriate that the steps in my half-marathon will be in his honor, since it was to him that I took my first steps twenty-three or so years ago. If you knew him and would like to donate in his memory, please let me know, and you can make a note of it in the donation form and send a notification to his family (I have their address if you need it).
The online donation is preferable, but if you need to mail in a check, please make it payable to "Kgwale Le Mollo (US)" and send it to:
KLM Foundation (US)
c/o Bowen Hsu
461 So. Bonita Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91107
Please make sure to include a note that your donation is on my behalf.
Thank you so, so much for your support, and especially for supporting the child who is chosen next year to attend Uplands College. I'll let you know how the weekend goes, and how many funds we PCVs collect. Thank you also and even more so for the myriad of other ways that you support me and what I am trying to do. My little heart is not big enough for all of the gratitude :)
More posts and pictures soon, I PROMISE!
Love!
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