Celebs cycle for child amputees
The Celebrity Cycle Tour raised enough money to help almost 12 amputee children. The five-day tour was a great success.
A 1 000km cycle tour through Limpopo and the North West raised enough money to help children with leg amputations receive adequate prosthetic equipment to lead healthy, active lives.
The Celebrity Cycle Tour, which kicked off on 11 November, raised a total of R300 000 for the Jumping Kids Prosthetic Fund.
Vlok Cilliers, Jumping Kids guardian and Blue Bulls kicking coach, said that although they did not reach their R500 000 target, the tour itself was an outstanding achievement, especially in terms of creating awareness for Jumping Kids. The funds raised will help approximately 12 children.
The five-day tour involved several national sport and entertainment personalities cycling from the Meerhof School in Hartebeespoortdam to Hoërskool Pietersburg, jumping from town to town the group engages with children and the public in different activities, including two golf days, sports days in Brits and Thabazimbi and various business functions.
Jumping Kids, founded by Johan Snyders in 2009, is a non-profit organisation specifically focused on raising funds to help children with amputated legs become mobile again.
Snyders is passionate about children being able to play and have fun while receiving excellent education in order for them to be successful in life. “Children need to have a normal development and should be able to participate in any activity.”
Reuben van Niekerk, an enthusiastic cyclist and an ambassador as an amputee for Jumping Kids, joined the team of cyclists participating in the tour. “I enjoyed the tour and it was a great campaign for creating awareness.”
Van Niekerk wanted people to see that an amputee could carry on with a normal life and achieve great success.
He will be competing in the Cape Epic soon, one of the hardest mountain biking races in South Africa, for the second time.
Van Niekerk had been cycling for approximately 15 years before he lost his right leg in 2008.
“It was tough to have my leg amputated, but I had to carry on with a normal life.” He inspires children to keep on doing what they love to do.
“Children should know that they are all the same regardless of an amputation.”
The funds raised will benefit children around South Africa, including Pretoria, by giving them a prosthetic leg and helping them with rehabilitation programmes. This initiative assists close to 40 children and they have plans to expand this year.
