A local active enthusiast, Ciaran Meyer, has decided to embark on a gruelling adventure that is bound to be a little bit more than rewarding; he will be cycling the Cape Argus Cycle Tour to raise money for charity.
Ciaran had always planned to do the cycle tour, but a chance meeting with a U-Turn leader meant that his endeavour would become one with heart and soul. Ciaran says he was helping his mom put up a security hut in their road which just happens to be near the U-Turn offices. As they worked the leader came out to chat to them and the conversation turned to cycling the Argus for charity. “I asked a few questions about it and he told me to come along to the meeting to find out a little bit more about what it’s all about,” said Ciaran.
And that was that; he decided that it would be a great idea to have such an inspiring motivation for doing the Argus, and he even managed to get his girlfriend involved in the adventure too. She and Ciaran are both trying to raise as much money as possible before the cycle date.
U-Turn is a group of compassionate people working together towards the upliftment of people living on the streets. It was founded in 1997 by Colleen Lewis after she began to feel a burning desire to make a difference in the lives of people less privileged than herself.
The group began to supply food for the homeless in the area at St Stephen’s Church in Claremont, and later, with the help of the Claremont Improvement District Company (CIDC), they hired a warehouse from the City of Cape Town. The warehouse was later required for other purposes and U-Turn moved into a nearby building which they are currently working on to improve. The organisation offers lodging in a small building in Lansdowne Road, and they hope that in the near future they will be able to acquire property which can be turned into centres dedicated to homeless rehabilitation.
Ciaran feels really good about helping out the cause, “It is a small challenge in my life to try and make a huge difference in someone else’s,” he said. The U-Turn ministry work towards getting people off the street, clothed, fed and educated so that they can re-enter society and live a responsible life.
The three phases of U-Turn’s work include making contact, rehabilitation and reintegration, and you can help them by donating money to the cause or by volunteering. The meal voucher initiative is a great way to help the cause too. You buy a booklet of five meal vouchers from one of the participating stores and then hand them out whenever someone asks you for money. That person will then go to the U-Turn facility to redeem their meal and the volunteers are then able to begin helping them rebuild their lives.
Ciaran’s story is a wonderful indication that there are people out there who care about their community and are committed to helping out as best they can. If you want to support Ciaran and his girlfriend go to his Given Gain profile here.
Jade Scully is a copywriter excited about writing copy and stories, blogging about the world and editing. She currently and regularly publishes her stories on a number of blogs. Jade loves animals and hopes to begin writing copy for the animal rescue charity TEARS as her contribution to the cause.
