Sean Curnow: Welcome to the first update for the UAE Charity Challenge Team. We will plan to provide at least one update a month to keep everyone informed of our progress leading up to the 2008 Desert Challenge.
Charity
We will be aligning ourselves with two non-profit charity organisations with funds raised being evenly split between the two selected charities. We are happy to announce that we have signed a memorandum of understanding with the Dubai Center for Special Needs.
The Dubai Center for Special Needs is an established, non-profit organisation dedicated to providing the highest standards of service in specialized education, therapy and vocational training, for children with various disabilities. Their aim is to provide each and every one of their students the key to a positive life, thereby "Lighting the path to a brighter future".
We are still in the process of reviewing charity organisations in Uganda and plan to make an announcement in the near future.
Training
The lads are continuing to ride weekly in the desert to keep up their ‘bike fitness’. We have primarily focussed on the Triangle (Route 2) with a second run at the Enduro (Route 6) (See the training section for details of each route)
Jonathan has been a noticeable absentee due to a ‘minor’ injury he sustained several weeks ago whilst riding the Enduro for the first time with Steve and myself. He managed to create a crash where there was no crash to be created and in so doing sustained a fractured metatarsal. One operation later to install pins in the fracture bone and he is well on the way to recovery. We expect him to be carving up the dunes mid Feb 08.
Steve and Paul both recently competed in the first of the Baja Challenge Races for 2007/2008. It was 5 laps through a desert course covering a total distance of 146km. The lads did the UAE CC proud coming in a respectable 6th and 15th. See the photo gallery for some great shots that capture the day nicely. Paul recovered from a crash on the last lap where he sustained some minor cuts and managed to bend the handle bars and radiator bracket – both which later needed to be replaced.
Sponsorship
We have secured our first Sponsor. Heritage Oil Corporation has joined the UAE CC as a Platinum sponsor.
Heritage Oil Corporation is a Canadian-based independent, international oil and gas exploration, development and production company. The Company has exploration projects in the Republic of Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Mali and Malta, and producing properties in the Sultanate of Oman and Russia.
Heritage have a long standing relationship with non-profit charitable organisations. There support of the UAE Charity Challenge Team is simply an extension of their existing commitment to giving back to the communities where they operate.
We welcome Heritage to the UAE CC team and thank them for their charitable support.
Volunteer Work
Matt Wilson of WilsonGriffin Design has generously donated his time and expertise to the UAE CC. Matt originally offered to help out with the initial graphic design work for the website. However, it was not long before Matt found himself an integral member in the UAE CC team. Having completed the initial graphic design work, Matt is currently responsible for construction and management of the website. He has also offered to join the support crew that will shadow the UAE CC team during the 2008 Desert Challenge. Matt has truly embraced the goals of the UAE CC and we are lucky to have him on board.
WilsonGriffin is an award winning design and communications company established in the UAE. Visit their website for more information www.wilson-griffin.com
