So do you donate to charity challenges?
The trekking of Kilimanjaro has become firmly linked with the request for charity money here in England. For my husband and I, this was not the case. It was part of our holiday and what would prove to me an amazing adventure. So we felt it was wrong to ask for money for charity to do something that we wanted to actually do as part of our paths in life together.
I do know people that have in the past, and those that are currently raising money to climb Kilimanjaro and these individual stories make sense to me. They were either part of a big group that bonded together to take on this challenge, or they are a couple of people that have chosen to do it for the purpose of raising money for charity. They have chosen a harder route and it is not part of a holiday.
This subject has gone around in my head since I booked my trip and I even had the discussion on holiday as to why I chose not to raise money and how it felt that every little thing that people do these days, is about tagging on the fact that they are raising money. Now before you all lynch me, I would like to state that I give money to charity and I sponsor as many people as I can, for what they are doing. What I am leading on to however, is how I wanted to provide people with something if they were to give me money, such as to sell the photographs on my return with the proceeds going to charity, rather than them just giving me money to go on my jollies.
The holiday did make me think that I wanted to perhaps do something for a charity on my return and invest time and effort rather than just a cheque on its own. Then by chance on Twitter, I came across a blog from Amanda Halliday, looking for sponsors, or help towards her charity challenge. For me, the difference was that Amanda is taking on something that is no holiday and she is completely putting herself out of her comfort zone. She is training hard a year before she goes. She is doing business that pushes herself in to areas, she is not familiar with, in order to raise money for a very personal reason.
So what is Amanda doing ... An Arctic Dog Sled Challenge! I wanted to do this myself when I read about it, but I now realise just how much harder it is going to be, than the great image you conjour up in your head when you first hear about it. I could have just logged on and given Amanda some cash, but I noticed she had put a request out for a photographer, so I decided to offer up my services and time and any images taken for free instead. I will still donate to her cause, but I at least feel differently about those that raise money for charity. I may choose to raise money in a different way, but would always say to others, just see what you can do to help. The donations mean a lot to the people taking on their various challenges and even if it is about helping them achieve their challenge, there is something to be said for that motivation.
You can see some of the photographs I took when Amanda went to meet some Charoite Siberian Huskies earlier in July on the commercial gallery and on my Facebook page.
To find out more about Amanda’s challenge go to her website. (Photos on the blog also.)
http://amandahalliday.com/
