In the summer of 2010 Hong Kong resident and US citizen Todd Miller will traverse the United States on two wheels. Pedaling from the Oregon Coast on June 21 to finish 50 days, ten states, and one Canadian province later at the Atlantic Ocean at Portsmouth, New Hampshire on August 9. This epic bike ride is to raise awareness and generate funds for the children’s charity, A New Day Cambodia.
ABOUT A NEW DAY CAMBODIA (ANDC)
ANDC provides shelter, food and a quality education – with an emphasis on English language learning – to Cambodia’s garbage dump scavenger children. Presently ANDC supports 96 children, aged 7 – 21 years, who would otherwise not receive an education and have to scavenge the Steung Meanchey municipal garbage dump in Phnom Penh to help financially support their families.
ANDC operates two centers in Phnom Penh. These centers provide housing, food, outdoor classrooms, outdoor play areas, and computer/internet facilities for the children. All children attend private schools in Phnom Penh (the public schools in Phnom Penh are over-crowded and inadequate) and receive supplemental English language education at the Centers. Through education ANDC hopes to break the poverty cycle for these kids.
ANDC was founded in 2007 and is registered as an US 501(c)3 non profit charity in the state of Illinois, and registered as an official Non Government Association (NGO) with the Kingdom of Cambodia.
http://www.anewdaycambodia.org/
WHAT A DONATION BUYS FOR ANDC (US$)
$120: one year school tuition for one child at Northline School
$200: 500 notebooks for school
$350: one year school tuition for one child at Beltei School
$400: 50 Northline school uniforms
$450: 30 Beltei school uniforms
$500: one month of rice for 96 children and staff (2000 lbs!)
$500: one desktop computer
HOW TO DONATE TO A NEW DAY CAMBODIA
By credit card through PayPal or check directly to ANDC. United States receipts can be arranged. http://www.anewdaycambodia.org/
For Hong Kong residents, credit card payment through Variety, the Children’s Charity. Hong Kong tax receipts can be arranged. http://www.varietyhk.org/about/
An US$100 donation equates to less than an American nickel [= 2.8 cents] per mile; an US$500 donation equates to less than an American dime and nickel [= 13.8 cents] per mile. A donation of an American quarter per mile equates to $907.
If you think in metric and in Hong Kong dollars, this journey will span 5,840 km coast-to-coast. A HK$1,000 donation equates to less than twenrty HK cents per mile. A donation of 50 HK cents per kilometer equates to HK$2,920.
The TransAmerica 2010 fundraising goal is US$30,000. All donations will go to support the kids at ANDC.
ABOUT TODD MILLER
I have lived and traveled extensively in Asia for 20 years. Fatherhood is my greatest joy. Beyond fatherhood I am a hard core adventure traveller and avid cyclist. My travels have taken me to nearly 100 countries and I have ventured through locales ranging from Guangdong to Tuscany to Harlem on two wheels.
Last summer my company, a major Hollywood studio, agreed to a two month sabbatical from my day job in television. In thinking about all the possibilities for this sabbatical, two things resonated. I wanted to do an epic bike trip, and to pedal with a purpose. Settling on a transcontinental bike trip was the easy part: It’s been a dream for many years; the route traverses some beautiful parts of the U.S., and the dates fit neatly into my son’s summer holiday schedule.
It took me much longer to settle on the charity to support. I spent months evaluating various causes, and happened upon A New Day Cambodia (ANDC) through a friend’s introduction. I visited Phnom Penh in January, met the kids and the founders, and observed the charity in action. I immediately connected to the good work A New Day Cambodia does, and to the very special kids in Cambodia that benefit from this work. ANDC emphasizes education and English language learning to break the poverty cycle. What really impressed me about the kids at ANDC is their hopefulness, confidence, sense of future; many whom I spoke to aspire to professional careers. None of this would be possible without ANDC’s nurturing.
While on this ride I am also looking forward to a big dose of Americana, to reconnecting with my home country at ground level – meeting new people, going new places, seeing new things.
email Todd: MMiller94@gsb.columbia.edu
SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS
TransAmerica 2010 is in association with Variety, the children’s charity, CASBAA Cares, and Women Media Networks.
Variety is dedicated to promoting and protecting the health and well-being of children around the world through a network of 50 Tents (or chapters) in 14 countries. http://www.varietyhk.org/
CASBAA is the Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia , and CASBAA Cares is the Asian subscription television industry’s CSR effort. http://www.casbaa.com/casbaa_cares.aspx
Women Media Networks (WMN) aims to provide members with professional support, leadership development and networking opportunities. http://www.womenmedianetworks.com/
