Dear Newschoolers,
My name is Brian Moses and I am seventeen-year-old junior at Kimball Union Academy in Meriden, New Hampshire. My family and I live in Lebanon, New Hampshire, a small city north of Concord. Since I was young, I have always been inspired to help people. Whether it be helping someone out in school, on the mountain, or on the trail, it makes me feel good to know that I had a positive impact on someone else’s life.
During the next two months, my friend, Peter Maher and I began to plan seriously to bike across the country to support a school in Kenya. We drew up training schedules, fundraising goals, and sponsorship proposals. We even created a website! Late in December, violence occurred in Kenya. Many of the people supporting and helping us with the ride questioned the safety and security of the Kenyan government. Their anxieties were quickly dismissed, and the message that the Beverly School team had passed on to us, was passed onto them. That message: The children need us now, more than ever.
We knew that if we were going to do the ride, we wanted to raise as much money as possible for the children in Kenya, who so badly need our support and care. I, along with the entire Beverly School of Kenya team, am asking you to support our cause. There are many ways that you can help.
Our ride will begin in early June, just north of Seattle, in a small city called Anacortes, located on the Puget Sound. We will finish in Boston, Massachusetts around July 25th. The first, and most important task, is to spread the word of this amazing ride. But, we cannot be successful without monetary gifts as well. We, as a team, have set a fundraising goal of five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) and with your help and sponsorship we will get there!
I have enclosed a sponsorship and pledge form, with all the information about pledge opportunities. You can sponsor us per mile, or even per state! Or, you can simply donate a fixed amount. Please remember, any amount helps. We need as much support as possible on this ride. With your help, we can give these children the opportunities that we in the United States have. The opportunities that they so badly deserve.
You may be asking yourselves a couple of questions right now. First, I am sure you are curious why I want to spend more than half of my summer, and many late nights working on a project such as this. The answer to that question is brutally clear. As I sit here, in my room at home, with heat, water, and food next to me, I realize that the Kenyan children do not have the opportunity to enjoy the luxuries that I do. In addition, Kenyan children have less than a three-percent chance to attend college, a sad and depressing figure, as I think ahead to college interviews and the SATs.
I will do this ride, not only for the Beverly School, but also as a mission, to show the citizens of the United States, and people all over the world that there is more to this world than people realize, and that sometimes, we have to take a step back to realize that. Even though we may be geographically far apart, this ride can impact can impact children’s lives across the world.
The second question I imagine your are asking right now is, “Why should I contribute to this?” The answer to this question is also vividly clear. The reason is to help the Kenyan children, who are hungry, thirsty, and in need of an education. They are in need of a second chance at life. These children have been orphaned because their parents have died from the HIV/AIDS virus. Obviously, this is a serious issue. If no one were to do anything about it, this vicious cycle would keep repeating. But, the Beverly School of Kenya offers an alternative, a way out. Education brings new hope and new opportunities to people who utilize it. We need to give these children a chance just like I have been given a wonderful chance to move ahead.
I ask you, as you sit reading this, look around you. Look around. You probably are indoors somewhere, shielded from the cold, with fresh water and food nearby. You have money in your wallet. You have electricity and heat in your home. You have an education. The Kenyan children don’t have any of this. It is time that something is done.
It is time to make a change.
Please, consider making a gift to this critical fundraiser. Not only are major news corporations and newspaper already very interested in the ride, but you, as donors, will receive your names and corporations on both the Bike for Kenya website and the Beverly School of Kenya website. Also, all publications regarding fundraising will include a section noting your kindness and generosity of people.
If you wish to make a gift to our fundraiser, you can contact me, meet Peter and I in person, send us your gift in the mail, or choose from a variety of other means of giving. Please, contact me, I will be glad to assist you in any means possible. We are more than happy to speak with you and your company about the Beverly School of Kenya and Bike for Kenya. If you would like more information, please visit the Bike For Kenya website. The address is:
http://www.bikeforkenya.org. In addition, you can visit the Beverly School of Kenya website. This web page is located at:
http://www.beverlyschoolofkenya.com. Lastly, I have listed my contact information below.
Thank you very much for taking the time to read this letter. I look forward to hearing from you and your company. With you help, we can change the lives of children, one mile at a time.
Sincerely,
Brian Moses
Kimball Union Academy
Post Office Box 361
Meriden, New Hampshire 03770
United States
Email -
bmoses@bikeforkenya.org
