Noah is proud to be associated with the world’s most beautiful marathon and this year benefited from pledges made by runners, the Old Mutual race number auction and the auction of Puma running shoes autographed by Usain Bolt, world champion and fastest man alive!

To all the runners, organisers and partners at the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon, Noah would like to extend a huge thank you! Noah was able to raise R253, 927 through direct pledges by runners on entering the race as well as the Herculean efforts of the Old Mutual team who organized golf days, online auctions and an amazing expo stand. A special thank you to the foot massage team from Beyond Wellness who doubled their fund raising initiative from 2009, raising over R8000 through the many feet that they nursed and cared for! Green Salads also donated R1 to Noah for every sandwich, wrap and delicious smoothy they sold.

An additional R31,812 was raised through runner pledges and fundraising initiatives at the Old Mutual Two Oceans Expo. These funds will be used to contribute to our ongoing support services in communities caring for orphaned and vulnerable children.

Noah Runners

The following runners used their own initiatives to raise funds for Noah and bring attention to the plight of orphaned and vulnerable children. We would like to send a special thank you to them for their hard work and fantastic running efforts!

Susanna Wiegank raced in the 56km ultra marathon. Susanna, a German national, made a decision to use her passion for running to better the lives of children in South Africa. In celebration of her 50th birthday, Susanna asked each of her friends to donate funds for Noah instead of giving her a gift. This selfless gesture raised an amazing amount of €1,200 – almost R12,000!

Klaus Schultz, also a German national, similarly raised €600 for Noah through friends donating in lieu of birthday gifts for his 60th birthday. Klaus and Susanna are a true inspiration and show how through a small effort a great change can be accomplished.

German runners travelling South Africa with Susanna and Klaus were so inspired by their efforts that they too reached deep in their pockets and donated R1,400 to Noah at the Old Mutual Two Oceans Expo.

Stuart Izatt has raised R6,720 so far and still has pledges rolling in! Well done Stuart on your amazing race! This will help Noah with the running costs of an entire Ark catering to over 120 orphaned and vulnerbale children for one month.

Gary Teichman, former Springbok and Sharks rugby captain, also ran for Noah. His contribution brings attention to the 2.5M children orphaned and made vulnerable in South Africa.

Craig and Linda Wood, of Wierda Park, also took to the streets in support of Noah, raising R500. To put this in perspective this donation can be used to purchase seeds and fertilizer for a community vegetable garden at a Noah site for almost an entire year. This garden would support 150 OVC visiting the Ark daily, contributing to their nutritional well being and teaching them principles of food security.

Dieter Nuernberg, also from Germany, sponsored his sister’s race with a donation of €100.

Gavin Darby of Vodafone in the United Kingdom raised funds through the Back-A-Buddy website as he pledged his race efforts to Noah.

Johan Bosman ran the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon for Noah.

Ebrahim Hassim took time out from his busy life where he coordinates grants for Vodacom (including a recent grant to Noah for safety equipment and training) to also run for Noah in his personal capacity.

Dr Greg Ash, founding Director of Noah, dusted off his running shoes and took to the roads for the first time in many years to raise awareness and funds for Noah. His efforts clearly paid off as he finished the 21km race in only 2h23m.

Noah CEO, Karen Krakowitzer, also decided to use the race as a platform to get fit and generate interest and funds for Noah. Despite her many responsibilities at Noah and her very recent wedding Karen was able to complete her training regimen and finished the race in 2h20m.

Noah Resource Development Manager, Katie Andrews, who coordinated the running efforts of all of the above runners for Noah also participated in the world’s most beautiful race.

Thank you to all our runners and their supporters who are a part of our network of care. They say it takes a village to raise a child: Welcome to our global village!

SMS

Our sms line remains open until the end of May 2010 so you can continue to donate using this tool. SMS Noah to 38502 and you will donate R10.00 to Noah. These funds enable us to empower communities to care for their own orphaned and vulnerable children. It brings hope and support to families who have been affected by the HIV pandemic.

Most of all it provides children with an opportunity to dream.