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OAKVILLE BEAVER Thursday, July 16, 2009 · 4 Pair cycling to raise funds for orphans half a world away By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF To them it's only a few kilometres, but to some of the most vulnerable people in Africa it will be so much more. Brynne Tetley, 23, of Burlington and Matt Escott, 28, of Oakville are getting ready to undertake a momentous journey that will see the pair bike 200 kilometres from Oakville to Niagara Falls and back. The trip, which will take place on Aug. 15 and 16, is being done to raise funds to support an orphan outreach program in Malawi. "AIDS is one of the horrible things Africa is going through right now and Malawi has been particularly hard hit," said Escott. "In Malawi there are a million orphans out of a 12-13 million person population. That's just an incredibly high number." Escott and Tetley noted they settled on the idea of a charity bike ride when they became aware of the work being undertaken in Malawi by a missionary family who, along with Escott, are members of Oakville's Evangel Pentecostal Church. "We contacted the missionaries over there and they told us about this project they were doing, which is building this skills training and rape crisis centre, so we thought this would be an excellent opportunity for us to help them out," said Escott. "From there we told them about our idea JON CURRIE / OAKVILLE BEAVER WHEELS OF CHANGE: Brynne Tetley and Matt Escott are riding from Oakville to Niagara to raise money for an orphan outreach program in Malawi. to do a charity bike ride and they were on board with that." Tetley and Escott are hoping to raise $5,000 through their bike ride, which will go towards completing the centre. Constructed in the city of Blantyre, the centre will contain a number of the services needed to undue some of the damage the AIDS epidemic has done to the children of Malawi. "Traditionally how things work in African society is that if a family member dies orphans are cared for by the extended family, but because the AIDS epidemic has been so prevalent, a whole generation of Africans have been essentially wiped out in Malawi," said Escott. "This centre is designed to provide these orphans with actually practical skills they can use to provide a future for themselves and hopefully to help their country rebuild. They'll learn things from carpentry to electri- Taste over 150 Items of Japanese & Thai Cuisine DINNER for only cal work." While this will be the first charity bike ride Escott and Tetley have undertaken, it is far from the first charity event they have participated in. The pair was recently involved in a Covenant House program in which they gathered sleeping begs for a number of homeless people in Toronto. During Halloween they also collect non-perishable food items for the Salvation Army. Tetley noted it is important for those who can do something for those less fortunate to act. "It's not that much effort to go on a two day bike ride," she said. "With the way we live our lives and the things we put our energy into everyday, it's not that much to think of other people and use your life for something other than yourself." In a lead up to the ride itself, Tetley and Escott will be hosting a fundraising event on July 25 from noon to 3 p.m. at Timothy's Coffee, 321 Lakeshore Rd. E. Anyone who wants to make a donation can do so at the July 25 event or at the Evangel Pentecostal Church, 1450 Rebecca St. Cheques must be made out to the Penticostal Assemblies of Canada with Halliwell Project written in the memo. If cash is dropped off, it should also be mentioned that it is to be directed to the Halliwell Project. For information, contact Tetley at ahope4tomorrow@gmail.com. $ 2499 YS A WE 7 DA ly UNCH K L E $ 15 for on 99 2345 TRAFALGAR RD., OAKVILLE For a Reservation Please Call 905.257.8188 or Visit Our Website at www.spoonandfork.ca