A group of endurance athletes recently managed to raise R2.3 million for an educational group focused on learners from low-income areas. This is according to Werner Cloete, chief executive officer (CEO) of Calling Education.
These contributions consisted of 2 210 unique transactions and 1 985 unique donors, according to Cloete.
This year, 146 athletes participated in the Calling Cape Town challenge, which was more than double the number of participants compared to last year’s 60 entries, according to Cloete.
Calling Education has established a school in Stellenbosch, Calling Academy Stellenbosch, as well as schools in Paarl and Kroonstad, and aims for high-quality education, in an academic and personal capacity, for learners from low-income areas, said Cloete.
Money aimed for high-quality education
“The money made from Calling Cape Town goes specifically for Calling Education,” said Dewald Maré, a participant in the challenge and a teacher at Calling Academy Stellenbosch.
The idea of the model is “high quality education for low-income areas”, said Maré.
The money raised during the recent Calling Cape Town Challenge will go towards Calling Education’s model of providing high quality education to low-income areas, said Dewald Maré, a teacher at Calling Academy Stellenbosch who also participated in the challenge. PHOTO: Marise Schoonraad
A 24-hour challenge
Athletes started at 5:00 and had 24 hours to complete the challenge, according to Maré. He said that the challenge consisted of an 8 kilometer swim, a 109 kilometer cycle (where participants joined the Cape Town Cycle Tour), and a 50 kilometer trail run (where athletes tagged Devil’s Peak, Maclear’s Beacon, and Lion’s Head).
For the Cape Town Cycle Tour (CTCT) leg of the challenge, participants received branded gear and attire to distinguish themselves from other CTCT participants, according to Dewald Maré, a teacher at Calling Academy Stellenbosch who also participated in the challenge. PHOTO: Marise Schoonraad
Making a difference
Sponsors that provided gear, attire, and refreshments made it possible for athletes to raise as much funds as possible leading up to the event, said Maré.
The athletes had 24 hours to complete the challenge, with volunteers and learners supporting them along the way, said Dewald Maré, a teacher at Calling Academy Stellenbosch who also participated in the challenge.
PHOTO: Marise Schoonraad
Learners also came out to support and cheer for the athletes, SMF News was in attendance at the event.
Some of the learners who came out to support the athletes said that it was inspirational to see the participants competing in the challenge.
“It is pretty cool to see the people you are impacting,” said Daniel de Beer, athlete and second runner-up in the challenge. “It is cool to see the young men and [the] lives that will be changed through [Calling Cape Town].”
Calling Academy aims to develop learners’ character, its motto being “making every effort to confirm our calling”, said Werner Cloete, chief executive officer (CEO) of Calling Education. PHOTO: Marise Schoonraad