GEORGE NEWS - A group of parents and their children, including professional golf player Hennie Otto and his son Hennie Jr, will be tackling a cycle tour from George to Cape Town, planning to arrive in time to ride the Cape Town Cycle Tour on Sunday 11 March.
They will be covering 600km (including the race) in six days under the banner of the Miles to Create Smiles campaign.
"The campaign was founded to bring joy to children's lives. We decided that instead of completing only the Cape Town Cycle Tour this year, we would add a few hundred kilometres and make a decent job of it," says Otto, a three-time European Tour winner.
He is co-director of the campaign together with Peet Schutte and Elroy Saayman.
Their venture is raising money for several causes. Among these are Living Ball, a Christian-based outreach among children, with which Otto is involved, and Stop Diabetes. Otto's son was diagnosed with type I diabetes seven months ago.
"The financial pressure on families where this happens and who cannot afford a medical aid is tremendous. We want to help diabetic children in such families so that they can enjoy a better life."
Another beneficiary of Miles for Smiles is Môreson Children's Home. The Otto family is fostering a child here and they would like to contribute so that children can live in comfortable home surroundings.
George South Primary School will also benefit. According to Otto, there are children with a lot of sporting potential, but their parents cannot afford the associated costs to let their children participate fully.
Funds are also being raised to help lighten the burden on the parents of Zeake Swart, a George South pupil who was diagnosed with cancer two years ago.
2 cyclists can join the tour
There is still place for two cyclists on the tour. These places are available at a fee.
The other riders are Annabel Lategan and her mom, Elroy Saayman and his son Kevin, Peet Schutte and son Pedrie, and Niël Erasmus. Sas du Plessis from George South Primary will be joining the group for a few kilometres only.
The tour starts in George on Monday 5 March.
The group will ride in stages with stops in Riversdale, Heidelberg, Swellendam and Caledon, with arrival in Cape Town on Friday 9 March to allow a rest day on Saturday before the race.
They are asking the public to sponsor the kilometres they will be covering at R100 per kilometre.
For more information, contact Otto on 071 606 6555 or visit his Facebook page, Hennie Otto Sr.
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