Sponsor me and support two good causes

7 months ago

I'm going to run the Melbourne half-marathon on October 12 to raise money for the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre.

Imagine fearing for your life so much that you leave behind your home, your possessions, your friends, even your family. Then imagine escaping to Australia and being locked up indefinitely, or living here but being unable to feed yourself because you're denied the right to work, receive unemployment benefits or health care. This is the reality for many asylum seekers in Australia today.

The ASRC is one of the few places that asylum seekers can turn for food, health care, legal aid, and a host of other services. They achieve amazing things on a shoe-string budget thanks to the work of 400+ dedicated volunteers.

So sponsoring me means that you're helping asylum seekers, who've already suffered horrible things in their home countries, be treated humanely and given a fair go here.

You can sponsor me in any way you like:

• A fixed amount for giving it a go
• A fixed amount for finishing
• Per kilometre
• Per kilometre run (so I can't wimp out and walk)
• Any weird combination of the above you can think of

A half-marathon is 21km, and I can only run about 5km at the moment, which means I'm in for a lot of pain between now and October. There's your second good cause: causing me pain. If you can't get behind asylum seekers, get behind that!

You're also welcome to join the team and run yourself, either for sponsorship or just for fun.

Post a comment here, or send me an email if you're interested, or if you have any questions.

Update: The ASRC is a registered charity, so your sponsorship is tax deductible. Just let me know if you need a tax receipt.