Fund Raiser for Dedan Ireri Saturday March 14th 2009 3-5pm

Hi family and friends, clients and fellow cyclists,
We trust this post finds you all fit and healthy and loving life!!

We are having a fundraiser for Dedan and would love for you to come and meet him.
When: Sat March 14th 2009 3-5pm
Where: The C.H.E.K Studio, Inc.
609 South Vulcan Avenue, Suite 102
Encinitas, CA 92024

Dedan is a one legged Kenyan cyclist whom we met while cycling 7,400 miles through Africa as part of the 2007 Tour d’Afrique. We have spent the last 12 months trying to get him a visa so that he can enter the US to have a prosthetic limb fitted. After a lot of hard work (and even more bureaucracy!), his visa has now been granted and we will be picking him up from LAX on March 1st.

He will be staying with us for 3months while he is being fitted for a prosthetic leg. He is a very good cyclist,(he qualified for Paralympics 2008 but was unable to go to Beijing because he could not get funding). Dedan has never owned a prosthetic limb but can do a 15.4k time trial in 25mins or so with one leg! We are absolutely confident that with a prosthetic limb he will be even faster and may even win a medal at the next Paralympics.

Of course a prosthetic leg costs money. His new cycling leg will cost around $10,000.If we can raise an additional $5,000 then we can set him up with a walking leg as well – yes you need a different leg for cycling and walking! He also needs a new bike as his current machine is very outdated.

Your financial contributions can make all this happen, so please come on Saturday and give generously! Dedan and his family live off $21 per week so there is no way he can do this without our combined help.

Like many Africans Dedan has had to overcome more adversity than most Westerners can possibly comprehend. To fully appreciate what he has been through please feel free to email us for his biography.

So, come and meet Dedan, enjoy some great food and watch our 2007 Tour d’Afrique movie.

We appreciate your support in welcoming Dedan and look forward to seeing you on Saturday March 14th at 3pm.

Please call 760 753 2334 or email us at anewlegfordedan@gmail.com to let us know if you can make it. Cheers
Janet and Chris