CALGARY BROTHERS SET TO CIRCUMNAVIGATE GLOBE FOR CHARITY
CALGARY BROTHERS SET TO
CIRCUMNAVIGATE GLOBE FOR CHARITY
Calgary, Alberta, April 24, 2008 – Two born and raised Calgary brothers are set to circumnavigate the globe on their motorcycles to raise funds for Street Kids International.
C.J. and Dylan Wilkins, aged 29 and 33, respectively, are ready to launch their carefully planned Here to Here World Tour, a dramatic journey which will see them travel more than 30,000 kilometres on a pair of Buell motorcycles.
The goal of the Here to Here Tour is to generate awareness and raise funds for Street Kids International. The Canadian non-profit agency is a global leader in developing and disseminating strategies and tools to provide street youth around the world with skills and opportunities to better their lives. The fund-raising goal of the tour is to raise more than $100,000, with 100 percent of donations provided directly to the charity. Unique individual sponsorship opportunities such as the “Penny per Kilometre” are available to everyone, which permits donors to pledge a penny for each kilometer completed.
The tour is expected to last for 120 days, comprised of eight hours of riding per day and 32,000 kilometres in total. Dylan and C.J. will journey through more than 20 countries, effectively travelling around the world before returning to Calgary. When not on their motorcycles, the brothers will be interacting with local youth and recording their experiences along with status updates, which can be viewed on the Here to Here website: www.heretohere.com.
For approximately 80 to 90 nights, the riders will camp in tents, while the remainder will be spent in hostels or inexpensive hotels. The two brothers will navigate their journey around the world using regular paper maps as well as GPS systems. The riders will also be equipped with a digital camera, video camera, laptop computer, digital storage devices, and a satellite phone for data and voice communication.
The tour is set to launch on May 10, 2008, and will be commemorated with a public event, starting at 11:30 a.m. Taking place at Calgary Harley-Davidson (2245 Pegasus Road NE), the tour launch will include a free lunch for all in attendance. A group ride will officially start the Here to Here Tour at 2:30 p.m.: open to the public, over 100 riders will join with the two brothers and, guided by a police escort, will ride with them to the city limits. Upon reaching Barlow Trail
and 16th Avenue NE, the two brothers will split from the pack and head east to Medicine Hat, officially starting their round-the-world trip!
The two brothers have first-hand experience in overcoming life’s challenges as they were raised in a single-parent household in low-income housing. Few opportunities existed for the brothers to “get ahead,” except for what they created for themselves. Now that both have achieved success, Dylan and C.J. draw upon their challenging experiences faced growing up to assist other youth in poverty. Given Street Kids International’s reputation for effectively helping youth worldwide, the two viewed the organization as a perfect charity for which to raise funds.
“Dylan and I have worked hard to be as successful as possible to overcome our start in life. It is our first-hand knowledge of what it is like to face such challenges growing up that drives us to assist other kids in similar and worse circumstances,” states C.J. “Upon earning my motorcycle license only two years ago, my brother Dylan suggested the trip of a lifetime. We decided that by combining a passion for motorcycling with our desire to give back, we would be able to effectively raise awareness and funds while gaining a remarkable experience in doing so.”
Complete information on the Here to Here World Tour is available at www.heretohere.com.
About Street Kids International: Street Kids International strives to provide street kids around the world with the choices, skills, and opportunities to make better lives for themselves. For the past 20 years, the organization has partnered with youth workers to develop locally relevant, innovative workshops using award-winning animations that engage kids about sexual health, drug use, and youth entrepreneurship. Having worked with more than 2 million street kids in more than 60 countries, Street Kids International has been recognized by the United Nations as a Global Best Practice leader in youth work.
Complete information about Street Kids International can be found at www.streetkids.org.
Attention Promotion Directors, Editors, and On-Air Hosts: Interviews with riders C.J. and Dylan Wilkins and ongoing coverage of the Here to Here World Tour are available.
For further information, please contact:
Jonathan Barnes
Here to Here World Tour Publicist
WILLIAM JOSEPH
403.770.4900 ext. 27
j.barnes@williamjoseph.ca