Normally, I'm kind of a tightwad, and I don't do stuff like this.
Guys, I'm going to be right up front with you. We're looking for some sponsors here. I know some of you have supported worthy charities in the past, but this is one that, as motorcyclists, falls right in our area of interest.
My buddy Pat is a teacher, volunteering in Thailand. He's also a motorcyclist. Unlike here though, over 80% of the people in Thailand are motorcyclists. True, they don't ride Vulcans and Ninjas. If they could afford Vulcans and Ninjas, they could afford a car; but the best most of them can afford is a little scooter or a moped, and everyone, from babies to their grandparents is riding them. Where here, schoolkids would mostly be driving Dad's old Ford or Chevy to school, these kids are all riding their dad's old moped.
And in a land where the accident fatality rate from motorcycle accidents is staggering, almost none of them wear helmets. OK, I can hear some of you already, "BFD! I wouldn't wear a helmet if it wasn't for that damn helmet law!"
I wear one myself, but I'll admit I didn't always, and there are times when I still wouldn't if it wasn't for that law. (Even then I have cheated a few times. Shhhh!)
The thing is, we don't ride in the kind of traffic and on the kind of roads they have there. If you had to ride the main drag through Bangkok or the back road to some small villiage, you'd be wishing you'd brought a helmet. It's that bad, and yet kids all over Thailand are sent out, and taken out, in that every day,
and they don't know any better.
This is where Pat and his volunteers at Isara have been trying to help. Armed with donations from friends and family, he has started a campaign for motorcycle helmet safety and awareness, and he (being a teacher) is working mostly with the kids. Through Isara, and with the cooperation of local schools and police, hundreds of motorcycle helmets have been donated to children, who--though some of them may be too young to ride--are riding with their parents daily.
They have sponsored helmet safety poetry contests to win helmets for classmates, and school helmet safety days, and safety training, and other free donations of helmets to Thai kids and their parents.
Maybe you're thinking, "Crap! That sounds expensive. I paid almost $100 for this cheapo lid I'm wearing now."
The fact is that these helmets, made in Thailand, and government approved, are being bought in bulk for only $3.25 each. Think about that. For a miserable $3.25 you might be able so save a little kid's life.
In just two weeks, Pat is taking a 1550 mile trek around Thailand, to distribute helmets to school kids and promote motorcycle safety. Money is still needed to buy helmets and fund this effort, but if you think your donation is going to fund some posh expense account, get this: Pat is riding the entire trip on his little 125cc Honda scooter. The roads ain't like here either. There's going to be some serious territory to cover.
Listen, for a lousey penny per kilometer (OK that's penny and a fourth per mile) you can help sponsor Pat on his journey, and buy helmets for little kids who are probably never going to see transportation better than a used moped. When I found out that for only a $100, I could provide
thirty of these kids with helmets, I couldn't click PaPal fast enough.
I hope you can see these photos OK. Please do what you can to help guys. This is a worthy effort, and I'm vouching for Pat. He is the real deal. Dedication like his isn't often seen, believe me.
Can any of you look at these little faces and tell me you wouldn't part with some of your beer money to help save their lives? Look, if you can't send a donation, just clicking on Pat's homepage can help:
http://www.isara.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,162/