Longtom Update

Well, I know this sucks, but the KLM Donation Process has changed. I received this email from the KLM founder, Allison Howard:

Dear PCVs participating in the Longtom Marathon Fundraiser on 31 March 2007:
Greetings from the USA –

We are thrilled that nearly 65 PCVs have signed up to participate in this year’s Longtom Marathon fundraiser in support of the KLM Foundation. As members of SA11 and RPCVs, we understand that you all are very involved in your own projects and we are so grateful to you for supporting this cause. We truly believe that KLM is making a lasting contribution and we hope that you will continue to be connected to KLM after you finish your Peace Corps service in South Africa.

We’re contacting you today, less than 6 weeks before race day, with disappointing news about our collection method for the generous donations you are soliciting from friends and family. As you know, we had initially devised a system through an organization called CAFAmerica to transfer contributions to KLM-South Africa. We are terribly sorry to have to ask you to change course, especially after all the effort you have put into outreach and fundraising … but KLM is no longer able to work with CAFAmerica for any donations under $500 due to an exorbitant and unexpected fee structure. Changing course mid-way through the fundraising was a terribly difficult decision to make and we recognize and apologize for any inconvenience it will cause you. Ultimately, as leaders of KLM who are responsible to our donors and the children we support, we decided that CAF’s administrative system and the concomitant, revised fee structure were untenable.

Of course, it is possible that some of your friends and family will already have sent sponsorship donations to CAF and notification of the change may not reach them in time. Please don’t worry about this scenario. These people will receive a letter from CAF and from KLM, explaining the change. This letter specifies contact information for Bowen and Allison in the US and we will be happy to answer any questions that your donors may have.

Once again, we express our sincere apologies for having to change course, but we believe a simpler system will be more user-friendly and efficient. This is an administrative matter, but we will save a significant amount of money by doing it this way and all of your hard-raised money will go 100% to support KLM kids.

We advise you to notify your potential donors ASAP about the new donation system for Longtom 2007.

Donation checks should be written out directly to “Allison Howard” and mailed to the following address:

Allison Howard
Kgwale le Mollo Foundation
49 East 117th Street, #2
New York, NY 10035

The full 100% of the money you raise will be transferred to KLM's South African bank account at First National Bank in Johannesburg. We respect and entirely understand that this is a rather unorthodox way to collect money for an established charity. The difficulty is that KLM’s 501(c)(3) status in the US is still being processed. We have full legal, charitable status in South Africa, of course, and by collecting the donations personally and then transferring them in bulk to South Africa we will avoid the overseas processing fees. Initially, we hoped that our 501(c)(3) status would be approved in time for the race, failing which, CAF would perform the transferring function for us; but, we have made the difficult decision that CAF cannot efficiently process donations. For donors who wish to contribute over $500, CAF is still the way to go because they will be able to offer a tax receipt. All donors will receive a personal letter of thanks from the Board of KLM along with a brochure about our work.

Please don’t hesitate to contact Jesse Herrera (or Alli or Bowen in the USA) with any questions or concerns!

We THANK YOU for all the great work you’re doing on behalf of KLM and we plan to make the 3rd Annual Longtom Weekend in Sabie a memorable time for everyone!

Sincerely,

Alli Howard, SA 11, KLM Director
Bowen Hsu, SA 11, KLM Director



Allison J. Howard
508.454.8993

and i also received this..

Kindly inform your donors to include the NAME of the PCV they are supporting in the memo section of their checks - this way, we can keep track of donations and keep you posted about who contributes on your behalf. We'll be sure to contact you regularly with information about your donations so that you can extend your personal thanks to your sponsors.

Thanks everyone! ps the KLM website is : http://www.klm-foundation.org/Site/main.html

The Longtom

Well, it's about that time of year again....no, I'm not talking about Valentine's Day, although that's nice and all. What I am talking about is my own training for the Longtom Half Marathon. Yep, that's right, I'm doing it again. For those who remember, last year I basically destroyed my legs by trying to run the half-marathon without training at all. I did finish, at 2 hours, 17 minutes, but I could barely walk for days afterwards.

The situation will not repeat itself this year; I've been training and even bought some new running shoes to help me. (Nike Air Pegasus 2006 shoes are incredible! They actually do make a person faster, I don't know how.)

And again, I'd like to remind everyone that I, along with 62(!!) other Peace Corps / South Africa Volunteers, am not running the Longtom just for the hell of it. We're all doing it for a cause, the KLM Foundation.

Here's an email that I received from my friend Jesse, who's helping organize the Peace Corps-logistics of the race this year.

"01 February 2007

Dear South Africa PCVs:

Greetings from the KLM Foundation! As many of you have heard, the 2007 KLM/Longtom Half Marathon is on the horizon! We'd like to invite you all to this third annual event!
The KLM Foundation is a non-profit organization founded by two SA-11 volunteers in an effort to make a lasting, sustainable contribution to a better future for South Africa's kids – long after the end of Peace Corps service. With the support, input, and encouragement of our fellow PCVs, we founded KLM in 2004 in partnership with Uplands College – a private secondary school outside of Nelspruit. KLM provides a 5-year bursary and leadership development program to talented, motivated kids from under-resourced rural areas. To date, there are 3 KLM students enrolled at Uplands College with more to follow! Refilwe Ndimande, Sibusiso Shube, and Sandile Mbuza are fantastic kids and it is truly our honor to support their success.

In 2005, we convened the first annual Longtom Half Marathon fundraiser as a way to bring our friends and fellow PCVs together and to share with them our vision and plan for KLM's future. It began as a social, community-building exercise with modest fundraising goals … and, thanks to people like Gerrit Hamre, Jesse Herrera, Ann Hathaway and many others, it has become an exciting annual event and a significant source of financial support.

The third annual KLM/Longtom event is scheduled in Sabie, Mpumalanga, on March 30th! If past years are any indication, it's going to be a great weekend and we hope that you can all attend! The Longtom Half Marathon is open for runners, walkers, strollers, and scenery-viewers alike, so don't be intimidated by the pros! Over the past two years PCVs have raised $20,000 for KLM – It is essential funding and all your efforts will go directly to help the KLM kids on their journey. Don't doubt that the $25 and $50 donations add up – nearly all of the $20,000 has come from these modest, meaningful amounts.

Jesse and Ann will distribute fundraising instructions to all Longtom participants!
We hope that the Longtom 2007 Weekend will just be the beginning of your long association with KLM. You have our thanks and gratitude – Let's make Longtom 2007 the best year yet!

Sincerely,
Allison Howard, SA-11, KLM Director
Bowen Hsu, SA-11, KLM Director
Jesse Herrera, SA-14, Longtom 2007 Co-Coordinator
Ann Hathaway, SA-14, Longtom 2007 Co-Coordinator"

So now here, on my blog, I am sending out a heartfelt plea to anyone reading....if you can spare any money at all, please donate to this worthy cause.

(there's no processing fee and no deadline)

KLM Donation Form (link via Dan's website)