Calling All Angels

My name is Ivana Getachek and I have been running Ray’s fundraising campaign programme since it started in July 2009. After extensively travelling around the world and finding many people and projects that could really benefit from some financial support, he took part in the 2009 New York Marathon. Since then, his Calling All Angels Fund has donated over $15,000 dollars to three worthy causes.

Above: Amber Solaire met Ray in Chiang Mai in 2009 to find out more about the kick-off project in his “Calling All Angels” Campaign

 

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Amount raised so far:  $15,275.00

With his hugely ambitious “Calling All Angels” campaign, Ray is aiming to reach thousands of people around the world and inspire everyone about his mission! Below is some important information about the aims of his campaign. If you would like to, you can still give us your valuable support by making a donation!

Who receives the money raised from Ray’s Marathon Campaign?

Ray raises money on behalf of three organisations: The World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), the Namaste Childrens House in Nepal and the Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai. I interviewed him when I joined to find out why he had chosen them as beneficiaries.

“Lets start with the World Cancer Research Fund” said Ray. “In the last few years, I have become much more aware of the impact of cancer on people’s lives, as three very close friends have suffered from it and another lost her life earlier this year” he told me. “When Man of a Thousand Days was published in 2008, it contained a photograph of Elizabeth Taylor, who has been a close friend of mine for over 25 years. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005. Following extensive medical treatment, she made a remarkable recovery” said Ray happily. “Another close friend, Sarah Reid was also receiving treatment for early breast cancer and has also responded well to it” added Ray. “There are more people I know who have suffered – sadly, too many to mention them all here” said Ray. “And some were not fortunate enough to recover – I used to work with a lovely lady called Jelly Blount and although we were not especially close, we got to know each other quite well in recent years. Jelly died earlier this year and we dedicated the Seven Days in Tibet issue of this publication to her. The money we have raised is a fantastic way of honouring her and supporting the WCRF to find new ways to prevent people from ever having this terrible disease” he told me.

 Above: Ray raises money on behalf of the World Cancer Research Fund, to support their work in preventing people from having this awful disease. Ray’s close friend, Elizabeth Taylor (left) was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005 and has made a full recovery, whilst Sarah Reid (centre) has also responded well to treatment. Sadly, Jelly Blount (right) died earlier this year. Ray has honoured her and all cancer sufferers by raising a substantial sum for the WCRF

Located between the huge countries of India and China, Nepal is among the poorest and least developed countries in the world with 42% of its population living below the poverty line. “When I went there at the end of 2008, some of the statistics I came across were frightening” Ray told me. “For example, 27,000 children die of dysentery every year, 73% of women 15 years or older are illiterate and 2.6 million children are engaged in different sectors of child labour. As if that isn’t bad enough, over 5,000 children are working and living on the streets” added our disturbed traveller. “Nepal also has the number one child disappearance rate in the world” he told me. The Namaste Childrens House was one place I visited personally and it really opened up my heart” said Ray. “The home is dedicated to providing love, education, healthcare, nutrition, and a solid sense of family, community and cultural identity to the orphaned and needy children of Pokhara, Nepal.

Above: The Namaste Childrens House orphanage in Pokhara (left). The organisation receives no government funding and survives entirely on donations and people volunteering their help. This poster on the wall (right) shows what they can do with money that is given – “We take so much for granted in the west” said Ray. “Travelling to places like this makes me continually realise how fortunate we are. I would like to thank everybody who has made a donation and provided desperately needed funding to the Namaste Childrens Home” added our grateful fundraiser 

Below: In December 2008, Ray and his friend Nikki (third from the right) organised a picnic for about 35-40 kids, members of staff and other volunteers from the Namaste Childrens House on a nearby hillside, so that everyone could have a fun day out – “We fell in love with these kids and really want to help them as much as we can” said Ray

Above: “Like all of us, these orphaned children just want to be loved and feel that they are part of a family” said Ray. “My heart goes out to them and I am delighted that we are able to help Visma Raj Paudel – who runs the home – to boost their finances so he and his dedicated staff can do more for them. If you would like to know more about the orphanage, I urge you to read From Pokhara to Patan and if you would like to watch a short film of our picnic with the kids, you can watch the video clip below:

Last but not least, some of the money raised goes to the Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, in northern Thailand. “Lek Chailert is the tiny, courageous Thai woman who founded this project and she is one of the world’s great ‘unknown’ heroines, although I am certain this will change” said Ray, when he told me more about the place. “Established in the 1990’s, this place is unique. Lek’s aim has always been to provide a sanctuary and rescue centre for distressed elephants” explained Ray. “When I first went there, what I discovered was both profound and disturbing in equal measure. Elephants are only of interest to their owners for commercial gain and consequently, they are frequently beaten, drugged, abused and made to suffer considerable stress and pain from being overworked. Young elephants have their spirits ‘broken’ by humans in order to make them obedient – a cruel and inhumane practice that has been the tradition for hundreds of years. Even the cute video’s you see on YouTube, of elephants painting pictures, have only been possible because the animals have been beaten or punished in their training to make them perform. These animals are offered no protection whatsoever by the government and there is very little motivation to change the status quo as many people make their living through the exploitation of these creatures” explained Ray. “Lek Chailert is changing all of this and putting herself at considerable risk in order to do so. I really wanted to support her to continue the amazing work she is doing in creating what she refers to as “Heaven for Elephants”. By making their donations to our “Calling All Angels” campaign, our readers help to make sure these creatures will be safe from harm for years to come” said Ray.

Above: Sangduen “Lek” Chailert is the founder of the Elephant Nature Park (left and centre). Her nickname (Lek) means “small one”. At the Nature Park, she and her staff of mahouts (elephant handlers), veterinarians and volunteers tend to elephants that have suffered wounds or abuse by their owners, so that the animals can live naturally (right), as they do in the wild (Photo: Azriel Cohen). The park has received numerous awards from institutions including the Smithsonian in the USA – “It is incredible to witness what Lek has been able to accomplish through simply loving these animals – they absolutely adore her” said Ray. To get a deeper understanding of what this place is all about, take a look at one of our previous issues from 2008, called Elephants and Lions. Ray returned for a second visit to the park in April 2009 and our fitness correspondent, Me So Fit published the details and some stunning pictures in “Return to Elephant Heaven“

Below: Ray’s friends Nic Meredith and Azriel Cohen (left) visit Chiang Mai and enjoy a once in a lifetime opportunity (with Lek around) to schmoozle a 25 day old baby elephant while his mother stood quietly and patiently – something that would never have happened in the wild. Many elephants that find their way to Lek’s sanctuary are hurt. One of them (centre) had its right foot blown off by a landmine on the Burmese border. And Ray was taken aback when one friendly member of the elephant community planted a smacker on his cheek (right)

Above: This map shows the location of the Elephant Nature Park, within close proximity of Chiang Mai

Below: “Elephants eat a huge amount of food – up to 200 kilogrammes per day” said Ray. “The local markets (left) supply whole truckloads of food that can no longer be sold. It is fine for the elephants and should be just about enough to feed all 35 of them for one day!” he told me. “It costs about $250,000 US dollars per year to run the sanctuary and there is no government funding, so every penny needs to be created by Lek and her team. Thankfully, there is a queue of people who pay to volunteer there, and there are many other ways in which people can contribute to her amazing work” added Ray

Why is Ray’s campaign named “Calling All Angels”?

The name was inspired by a song from a film called “Pay It Forward” which our global explorer saw a few years ago. “It really captivated my imagination when I watched it” said Ray. “Its about an 11 year old boy called Trevor, who is set an assignment by his school teacher (Kevin Spacey) in which he is asked to think of one idea, which if implemented, could change the world! The teacher sets the assignment largely to help his pupils develop a sense of possibility, not really believing that they might actually come up with a viable idea. But Trevor comes up with a superb concept, in which he chooses three people and tries to persuade each of them to perform a major kindness for three other people, who in turn all have to do the same – like a giant, mushrooming ‘kindness’ pyramid scheme! It sounds crazy, but it is a wonderful story which affects the lives of everybody in a way and on a scale that no-one could possibly have imagined. If you have not seen it, I highly recommend it” said Ray. “Another reason the “Calling All Angels” campaign is so called is because we all have the ability to make a difference to others if we choose to – everyone who chooses to make a donation instantly becomes an ‘angel’ to the people who receive their gift”.

You can watch a trailer for “Pay It Forward” below:

I would like to make a donation – is there a minimum amount?

Absolutely not! Please give whatever you can afford or feel comfortable with. “A few of my sponsors are from the corporate world and work for organisations who are able to donate substantial sums” said Ray, “which is great for our campaign. And many more of my donors are personal friends, members of my family or people who just hear about what I am doing and really want to contribute. Some of this money goes to people who live on less than a couple of dollars per day so every little bit helps” added Ray.

Why are online donations in US dollars?

There are two reasons. The first is that the US dollar is one of the most accepted currencies in the world. The second is to do with being able to monitor and report on how well our campaign is progressing. In the last seven years, Ray has visited no less than 21 countries on his travels and his personal network has grown enormously. The Daily Explorer regularly receives around 2,000 visitors every month from all over the globe. We are anticipating that some people will want to donate in different currencies. For tracking purposes, we have adopted the US dollar as our benchmark currency. If we receive any donations in a different currency, we will convert the value of each one into dollars and add it to our total.

How do I make a donation?

By far the easiest way to make your donation is by clicking on the button below and using your credit card. You will need to choose the amount you wish to donate in US dollars so you may need to check the current exchange rate with your own currency first.

 

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Note: You have the option when making a donation using this method to send a message to Ray with it

For anyone who does not have a credit card, we set up a secure bank account for our campaign with Cater Allen Private Bank, who are kindly supporting Ray to handle donations from people who wish to make a direct transfer from their online bank account. They can accept online transfers in any currency. Depending on your country of residence, we will need to give you all of the relevant transfer details. We cannot publish these on this site for security reasons, so please email me with your details at ivana@thedailyexplorer.com and I will send them to you. If you would like to pay by cheque, please send me an email and I will give you the relevant details. If there is anyone who wants to make their donation in cash, this may be possible and we would probably need to make a special arrangement to collect it from you! Please email me with your contact details at ivana@thedailyexplorer.com.

If anyone would like to speak directly to Ray about any aspect of this campaign or get more information from him about any of the organisations he supports, then email him at ray@thedailyexplorer.com with your contact details so he can get in touch with you.

How can I find out how much has been raised so far?

At any time, you can email me at ivana@thedailyexplorer.com and I will let you know exactly how many dollars have been raised. The amount raised will also be updated right here:

Amount raised so far:  $15,275.00

I would like to speak to Ray before I make a donation. How do I arrange this?

If anyone would like to speak directly to Ray about any aspect of this campaign or get more information from him about any of the organisations he supports, you can email him at ray@thedailyexplorer.com with your contact details and availability and he will get in touch with you (alternatively, Daily Explorer readers who are on his ‘Friends’ email list can call him directly by using the telephone numbers published in any of the recent updates that have been sent out by Mozzie Byte).

Above: The cover of the June 2009 issue of Runners World

Editors Note: Our thanks to Ivana Getachek for joining the team and managing our “Calling All Angels” campaign for Ray. If you have donated to our campaign already, it is much appreciated. If you would like to make a donation, please use the button below – and many thanks indeed from all of us!

Ray ran the New York Marathon on the 1st November 2009. His official time was 4 hours, 16 minutes and 29 seconds. It was his first (and probably last!) attempt at running this distance. The full story of how it all happened can be viewed at: 256 New York Minutes.

MOZZIE BYTE

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 Above: “Please, please get involved with me, Ray and this campaign. Together, we are making such a huge difference” said Ivana Getacheck, our campaign manager. If you would like to talk to Ivana, you can reach her at ivana@thedailyexplorer.com