Kenyan Freshman Fundraiser via Brian Mickus's Retroactive Half-Marathon

I am writing to ask for your “retroactive” support for a half-marathon I ran about a month ago in support of the incoming freshmen class of Starfish Africa, an organization in which I’m involved and about which many of you have heard. Why would I ask for your retroactive support for a half marathon that I ran spur of the moment and only barely finished at the speed of a walk while the Rocky theme song played (appropriately) near the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum? Because, as you may have noticed with such fundraisers, the focus is NOT the actual athletic/musical/competitive-eating(?) feat, but the nonprofit organization itself. I hope you’ll agree with me that Starfish Africa (www.starfisharfica.org) is an organization highly worthy of your support that is truly making a positive difference in Africa.

Starfish Africa is a Christian organization that currently supports 38 highly talented but financially disadvantaged high school students. We do this by paying for their tuition in and near Nairobi, Kenya, and also providing mentorship and enrichment activities during their three annual school breaks and throughout the school year. These enrichment activities have included habitat for humanity projects where our students helped the poor in their communities to computer education camps where they learned to use technology many of us take for granted. We are motivated by our Christian faith which we share with our students, although there is certainly no requirement for the students in accepting our educational and overall support. Our outstanding students include Jane, a girl from the Kenyan Masai tribe who achieved high academic marks in school against great odds and is the first of her tribe to be selected into our program, and John, one of our first graduates who is now attending the University of Nairobi Medical School, the most prestigious program in the country. One student at a time, we are striving to transform the continent by giving the leaders of tomorrow’s Africa the opportunities they need to succeed today.

This summer, my wife, Kathleen, and I spent time in Nairobi, Kenya, meeting several of our Starfish Africa students and visiting their schools. While there, Kathleen and I were struck by the dedication of our students to their work and learning. They have taken hold of our vision and excel by their dedication to utilize their own God-given talents to give back to the communities that have supported them. I have attached a few pictures of our incredible trip to this email (in addition to a not-so-incredible picture of me finishing my recent half-marathon with my wife and sister, who had both long since finished).

So, would you please consider “retroactively” donating to my Starfish Africa half marathon fundraiser in support of our incoming freshman class? You can donate at my fundraising website (www.razoo.com), at the Starfish Africa website (www.starfishafrica.org), or by sending a check made out to “Starfish Africa” to me in the mail (171 Middle Park Drive, Souderton, PA 18964). All donations are 100% tax-deductible, and 100% of donations go directly to our student expenses since the Board members currently cover ALL administrative costs personally. You can read our annual financial reports on the website to verify our excellent financial stewardship and direct any additional questions to me. I hope to raise $12,000 by December 31, 2009, since this is roughly the amount required by our incoming class of 10 students for their 2010 tuition expenses.

I know that these are difficult economic times for many people, but any amount that you can spare (even $13.10, one dollar for each mile of my half-marathon) would be greatly appreciated. Maybe you could give to Starfish Africa as a unique “Christmas gift” to a loved-one this year or “adopt” one of our students with a larger group. Maybe you could pack your lunch instead of buying it for a week and pass the savings onto our students. Maybe you just feel sorry for me in my half marathon performance—such pity offerings are welcome too. In any case, please visit our website (www.starfishafrica.org) to learn more, forward this message to anyone who might be interested in supporting our organization or learning more about us, and please don’t hesitate to ask me any questions.

I will follow-up with a reminder email in a couple of weeks, and I thank you for your consideration. We exist because of the generosity many of you have already demonstrated and we’re eternally grateful for your help. If you would prefer not to receive any of these emails from me, I apologize for the inconvenience and would be happy to remove you from this contact list—please just respond with an email telling me this.

Thanks and Merry Christmas,

Brian Mickus