Charity

We realise that we're privileged in many ways and through the collective force of the club want to make a difference to disadvantaged communities and individuals.

As it is sport that bring club members together, our philosophy is to look for ways that we can make a difference through the medium of sport, whether this be supporting a struggling team or gifted individual.

We raise our funds in various ways. These include: a portion of annual subscriptions, a scheme whereby every runner gives 10c for every km run in races (across 90 members this adds up), charity dinners with guest speakers, auctions and by donating all of the profits raised from our annual race "The Milkwood Half Marathon" held annually in Soetwater.

Our main charity is Greater Commission United (http://www.gcu.org.za/) based in Heideveld. GCU is run by Mario, a former gangster, and is focused on the youth in the form of soccer and netball teams, a feeding scheme (its impossible to learn on an empty stomach) and adult education.

However, it goes way beyond this. GCU offers a safe haven for young men, and more recently young women, to hang out after school and learn life skills. Mario also supports and councils the young adults with any issues they have had in the past and are currently encountering. Unfortunately this doesn?t always happen but Mario does have a very very high success rate in breaking this circle and giving hope to young adults that wouldn?t normally get the couching and mentoring offered. The aim is to great the biggest gang in Heideveld and by joining this gang the youth are taught to break the circle of violence, crime and drug abuse.

Members of GCU help with the "Milkwood" as marshals and car parking attendants etc. Individuals of running club shadow and mentor them for the weekend, this includes running either 10Km or 21.1Km with them the day before the race, this proves to be very rewarding for both sets of people.

Quite a number of our club members are also member of JDI (www.jdi.org.za) groups. Where we can, we support JDI initiatives, including the JDI Ball and the JDI "Do It Day". We also take part in the Niall Mellon Building Blitz volunteer day (www.irishtownship.com).