TMHCC’s European Cycling Tour for children in need

The guiding theme for my CSR activity and "journey" is to bring a little HAPPINESS into the world or to cycle to say it with my words. Happiness is the highest goal of human life, and the feeling of happiness comes from inside, is usually based on something "surprising", but unfortunately does not last permanently. That is why each of us should try to contribute ideally daily, which is quite difficult – I know! Even if it is only a small one. It doesn't take anything big to scatter some happiness in a surprising way.

I finally come up with the idea supporting two organisations that take care about infants/kids in different ways, however, both help and support the "little ones" of our society in a very important way.

The first organisation is the Frühförderung der Lebenshilfe KIDS in Herne (pre-aid intervention for KIDS), where children in the first 6 years of life are supported in a curative and therapeutic way in their home environment, with the aim of developing their personality actively and independently to discover the world, to learn and to grow from it. The other organisation is in our city: the Düsseldorfer Kindertafel - it supports and takes care of needy school children on a voluntary basis so that they can at least get a warm meal every day. It is hard to believe that even in our city every fourth child is affected by poverty and that their plates often remain empty because of this.

Both organisations have been active for years and have already achieved great things, but without going into details, both are also dramatically affected by the current economic or financial development, with sometimes massively increased prices and costs, and so, if necessary, subsidies and offers must be limited or postponed or the acquisition of new aids must be reconsidered. Or, on the other hand, the Kindertafel is affected in a double sense by struggling with increased food prices and at the same time must fill a significantly increased demand of "growling stomachs". Unfortunately, to meet all these needs here, sufficient financial resources are required, and this is where we come in!

We are strongest when we take care of each other, and we can make a difference by making financial support! And so, with your help, we can actively support both organisations and help the children with this and bring a little "happiness" to the kids. Because every EURO we collect contributes to the needy children "seeing" a little more of the world or at least conjures up a delicious meal for the others on their empty plates and thus ensures a little less stomach growling.

So, the aim is to collect as much as possible and thus the goal of achieving “€9,088” stance for a challange and "symbolic" figure becuase it represents the difference in altitude of the "ronde". The amount finally collected will be allocated to both projets by divinding just by 2.

In addition to the idea for this initiative, I will also be making my contribution and among other things, I will visit some of you (mea culpa - I can't do all the offices in one trip - I promise, I'll come to the remaining offices another time) by bike and thus "connect" us all in same way. Anyway, on this occasion I will bring you a little bit of "luck", which will be carried even for me during the whole journey.

Details of my ride and schedule are roughly as follows (start-/end day might vary by 1 day) and I will cycle the route “clockwise”:

The planned overall distance is about 1458k and approx. 9100m difference in altitude, however, because of the tight schedule of seven riding days the cycling distance is about 210k/day, which can vary because of various reasons – such as the overall days as well. The stops are roughly known but as always while cycling the weather or other conditions and circumstances might affect reaching the goal on scheduled time and thus it is not predictable where the real stops will be, however, I will stay in touch with our TMHCC colleagues during my ride and keep them updated on the journey and my progress.

It is planned to ride on my own, however, at the start and hopefully in between two of my best friends will support and join me for a stage or even more, what they will do anyway in mind and via certain “tools” and this of course, includes my family as well. I also like to say thanks to TMHCC for supporting and sponsoring my idea and charity project, which is much appreciated.

Anyway, if you want to be in touch with me before and during the tour, just give me a note. As a proxy, I will always meet with at least one of you in town riding through - I hope this fit into one of your schedules. Symbolically, I will carry and bring with me a small "lucky” gift for all of us in the TMHCC world in the form of a traditional Japanese Daruma.