Twenty-four students and faculty of Seventh-day Adventist-owned Helderberg College in Somerset West, South Africa will undertake a five-day, 310-mile (500 kilometer) bicycle ride to raise money for students who need financial help to attend the school.
Twenty-four students and faculty of Seventh-day Adventist-owned Helderberg College in Somerset West, South Africa will undertake a five-day, 310-mile (500 kilometer) bicycle ride to raise money for students who need financial help to attend the school.
The goal is to raise five million South African Rands, or approximately US$740,000, an amount that would fund the tuition and board of 15 students, school officials say. Initial support has been good—someone has already pledged R200,000. Fundraising organizers are optimistic that they may double their original goal and provide longer-term financing for as many as 30 worthy students.
The ride will cover a stretch of South Africa’s famed “Garden” tourist route, from Knysna, on the South-central coast of the nation’s Western Cape Province, to Cape Town, the provincial capital. But with five stages of approximately 100 kilometers (62.5 miles) each, the trip will be demanding.
Like other Helderberg students, Chad White is willing to contribute his efforts to the project. “It has really motivated me again to continue exercising and to get fit,” he said. “It has brought a sense of caring for my fellow humans and sympathy and empathy that I have never had before. It has made me a better person by realizing the needs of others and realizing my need to help others.”
Ramafahla Thamae, a fourth-year communications student, echoed this dedication to helping others: “My participation will make [a] special difference in someone’s life,” he said.
“Having experienced the pain of almost not completing my studies at Helderberg College because of a lack of funds, I want to lend a hand in assisting prospective students,” added Katleho Masilo.
School administrators expect the project to increase community awareness of the school: “I see the long-term benefits of this as increasing the profile of the college and enabling students to obtain a Christian, values-based education,” said Gerald du Preez, president of the school.
Seventh-day Adventist education in South Africa began in 1893 with the establishment of Claremont Union College at Claremont, Cape Town. This was the first college operated by the Seventh-day Adventist denomination outside of North America. It is now located on a 370-acre (150-hectare) fruit farm on the slopes of Helderberg Mountain, 5 kilometers from Somerset West.