Dear Friends,

Over ten years ago, the two of us met on our respective bicycles.  We were preparing for a Midwest ride raising awareness and money for AIDS related charities.  And now, eleven years after that first fateful training ride, we are mounting our bicycles again, with an even more ambitious endeavor in sight...

From June 8th to the 19th, we will be riding across Tanzania, Africa, starting near the base of Mount Kilimanjaro and making our way 400 miles east to the Indian Ocean.  We will be joining a small group of twenty riders for the second Ride TZ, collectively working to raise awareness and funds for a beautiful organization, The Foundation for Tomorrow (TFFT).

We became involved with TFFT about a year ago and have subsequently fallen in love with their mission.  Simply put, TFFT supports children aging out of Tanzanian orphanages at five years of age, enrolling them in boarding schools, providing tuition, foster care, healthcare, food, clothes, and school supplies.  They promise to provide this sustained support to each child through graduation, an average of 12 years, preparing them to take their own next steps in life.  Even more than that, they commit to supporting each child as a family.

To say we are excited is an understatement.  To say that we are overwhelmed by this committment is a fair statement, too!  Our goal is to raise $20,000.  This is, by all measures, a huge undertaking.  We are completely aware (especially in the current economy) of what we are asking of our friends and our family.

And yet, we are committed to this mission because it is about children, the eduction of children, and the promise of bettering the future of those children.  We plan for this to be the beginning of a longer journey for our family (Merritt and Calvin, too!) -- one which includes volunteering and support of TFFT for years to come.

There are over one million orphaned children in Tanzania alone.  This effort will not solve the problem of all of those children.  But, in a few short years, TFFT has made amazing strides.  One child at a time, they are truly making a difference.

Please help us by supporting TFFT by clicking on the orange DONATE button above.

Thank you, in advance, for whatever support you can give...

Peace,

Gretchen & Michael Wooldridge