A word to the LEAP Cycle Team
School is out, and the LEAP community of learners, teachers and staff are looking forward to a break from the hustle and bustle. At the beginning of the month we held prize-giving ceremonies across all the LEAP schools. These were wonderful events, celebrating the hard work and excellence of our learners. We have some wonderful projects in the pipeline, including our Adopt-a-classroom campaign to refurbish our classrooms which are in dire need of attention. Some of the businesses in the Pinelands area have generously pledged paint, tools, books and many other things to help us with our revamp early next year.
December 2013 has been a month of great loss, but also of intense reflection. The death of Nelson Mandela has been sad for us all. We have been affected both in grief and in gratitude. It has been a time to reflect on the values that he lived by and espoused. We have been reinvigorated to ponder the educational and social values that LEAP stands for and seeks to live out.
Once again, we would like to thank each of our LEAP Cycle team members for using the Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour 2014 as a vehicle for social impact by joining the LEAP Cycle Team. Over the past few weeks we have spoken and exchanged emails with a number of you and it has been heart-warming. Though we are a non-profit public benefit organization, it never ceases to surprise and amaze how generous and caring people are when we encounter those who really want to invest in social projects without any expectation of personal gain. Many interesting stories have come from the team cyclists. One of them is from Vanessa Maitland, a marine archaeologist who was attacked by a rhinoceros on a family trip. Training for and riding the Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour is part of her regime to get back to her pre-injury fitness level. See our Active For LEAP Facebook page for a picture of the rhino. Ii is amazing how compassionate and positive Vanessa was as she relayed the experience of walking in the bush with friends and family and encountering this aggressive young rhino.
Vanessa’s experience and attitude reminds us of the life of Nelson Mandela, who embodied unwavering personal character, a deep sense of compassion and an incredible capacity for giving and forgiving. May each of you have a wonderful rest if you are taking a break at the end of the year. Hopefully you will be invigorated in January to train all out for the big event (if you aren’t already)! We are planning two team events so that we can all meet before the race, more details will be sent in the January email.
Keep well and fit!
