Affectionately known as the “vehicle transport experts”, this year the Helderberg Sunrise Rotary Club will celebrate its sixth anniversary with the FNB Wines2Whales (W2W) Mountain Bike (MTB) Events.
According to Clive Reed, treasurer of the Helderberg Sunrise Rotary Club, the club’s 55 members are passionate about service to their community and boast high ethical standards.
“Although a young club, Helderberg Sunrise has a proven track record in achieving success in many community projects. We enjoy being part of the FNB W2W MTB Events,” he said.
“We transfer the vehicles of competitors. Each event has 50 plus members, family and friends moving vehicles from (a) Lour-ensford Wine Estate to Oak Valley Wine Estate, (b) from Oak Valley Wine Estate to Onrus Caravan Park and (c) from Lourensford Wine Estate to Onrus Caravan Park. We ensure that the mountain bikers have access to their vehicles at all times during the event.”
The Helderberg Sunrise Rotary Club puts the funds generated through its involvement with the FNB W2W MTB Events to good use by supporting a number of admirable projects, including Go for Gold and Masikhule.
“Our involvement with FNB W2W has also allowed us to fund smaller once off projects,” continues Reed. “Over the past two years we have donated funds to Lebanon Community Trust to buy bicycles, and to the Botriver School Bicycle project. We helped an old age home, Huis Jan Swart, enclose their patio, worked with Masincedane Community Trust to create a Wellness Centre in Lwandle, supported Rotary Youth Services and many more,” said Mr Reed.
Founded in 1999 through collaboration between the private sector, the Western Cape Department of Education and civil society, Go for Gold is an award-winning “education-to-employment” public-private initiative.
According to Karen Rademeyer, fundraising and communications manager of Go for Gold, Helderberg Sunrise Rotary’s donations help toward Go for Gold’s individual student sponsorships, which affords underprivileged youth in Grade 11 and 12 to be part of phase one of the fou-phase Education-to-Employment programme.
“Currently Helderberg Sunrise Rotary are supporting seven pupil’s sponsorships (since 2015), and to date have donated over R250 000 to our cause,” she said. “Go for Gold are very grateful for the Helderberg Sunrise Rotary’s dedication and passion for our cause in providing graduate professionals to the built environment in South Africa.”
Founded in 2005, Masikhule trains women from impoverished communities of the Helderberg in Early Childhood Development, enabling them to effectively educate and nurture pre-school children and provide them with the foundation for life-long learning.
“By including us in events the Helderberg Sunrise Rotary Club has helped us raise funds, donated resources, increased awareness and facilitated contributions from Rotary clubs overseas,” says Sandy Immelman, Masikhule marketing and communications manager.
“Being part of the prestigious FNB W2W MTB Events is a wonderful opportunity for us. We assist with transferring vehicles between stations. We get to have fun in our area, while assisting the event’s efforts, and raising awareness and funds for our NPO,” said Ms Immelman.
Starting in the Winelands of Somerset West in November, riders will cross through (and over) 13 wineries, 26 private farms, six mountains, historic roads and mountain passes, nature conservation areas (including the Kogelberg Biosphere) before finishing within sight of the famous whales of Hermanus.
For more information on the Helderberg Sunrise Rotary Club, visit www.hsrotary.co.za
For more information on the FNB W2W MTB events, contact Chris on 083 760 3158, or visit www.wines2whales.co.za
