The handover was attended by Suzanne Ackerman-Berman, transformation director at Pick n Pay who also represented Pick n Pay CEO Richard Brasher who gave an additional bike as a gift to the academy.
This year the LikeBike campaign was run across a number of platforms to enable people to give to the academy, which has changed the lives of many youngsters by giving them the opportunity to take up cycling, and to spend time at the academy in a structured environment.
A digital campaign allowed people to play the LikeBike game on the Pick n Pay Facebook page, and earn "Velos" which contributed to the amount of money donated by Pick n Pay. Riders and visitors at the Pick n Pay Cape Argus Cycle Tour Expo could sign up to wear a Velo badge, making their ride count for raising money. At the expo two LikeBike spinning bikes gave visitors the opportunity to challenge each other in a one-minute spin, thereby donating money, and finally Pick n Pay shoppers were able to donate smart shopper points to Velokhaya through in-store smart-shopper kiosks.
Every year Velokhaya Life Cycle Academy members ride in Pick n Pay gear to say thank you to Pick n Pay for their support of the academy. The academy is a non-profit organisation, which aims to use an education-based cycling programme to give children the skills and opportunities they need to make a success of their lives.
Pick n Pay, Velokhaya's anchor sponsor since 2003, raised R70,000 from this year's campaign. "This year we decided to give Velokhaya a financial donation based on the participation of the public in the fundraising campaign, we did this so that the academy could decide on what their needs were," said Georgina Muirhead, digital marketing manager.
The handover included:
For Shaun Doch, who has been riding at Velokhaya for three years, the organisation is a metaphor for his life. "It started in a shack, with poor equipment, but through hard work and dedication has grown to what it is today. I apply the same thinking to building my life. Getting on a bike has taught me principles of discipline and respect and shown me that hard work pays off." Doch believes that if it was not for cycling, he would be involved in drugs and gangsterism. "It's more than just riding a bike - it's about life choices we make that determine our lives both on and off of the bike."
The centre is a home away from home for many of the boys and girls that meet up to seven days a week. "I am looking forward to riding my third Pick n Pay Cape Argus Cycle Tour," said Lutho Maxengana, 15, who recently swapped a BMX for a road bike. "I am hoping to become a professional cyclist one day."
Pick n Pay recognises the good in the work done by Velokhaya and is inspired by it. "Our staff volunteer on the day of the Cycle Tour, manning water refreshment stands," said Pick n Pay's Ackerman-Berman. "We believe that doing good is good business and are committed to working with and assisting fantastic organisations like Velokhaya which make a tangible difference in people's lives and spread goodness in their own way."
For more information, go to www.velokhaya.com.
