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18 - The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday April 30, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com Reaching out to Rafiki If you could help a stranger in need, would you do so -- no strings attached? That was the question Oakville resident Catherine Mulvale asked 3,000 Oakville students last year. The answer was a resounding "Hakuna matata" ­ no problem. The fundraising of kids and families in Oakville is changing the lives of 35 orphaned children in Tanzania, East Africa. A new home and school was started in September 2007 and the roof for the building has now been completed. Once again the question is being asked ­ would you help a stranger in need? -- but this time the goal is not to build a home, but to feed the same 35 children living in the Rafiki Orphan Care Home. On Sunday, May 4, Revolution Health and Fitness and spinning instructor, Adam Scott, will cancel all regular spinning classes and reserve all their bikes from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for "Ride for Rafiki!" Several stationary trainers to which participants can mount their standard bicycles will be available. Organizers are hoping participants will fill every time slot for all the bikes and raise at least $100 per hour per bike. If this happens, Ride for Rafiki will nourish the bodies and minds of 35 children for an entire year. You don't have to be a member at Revolution nor do you have to be super fit. If you can ride for one hour and ask 10 friends to support you with a $10 pledge, you're being asked to join. "We are providing more than food. We are showing the children of Rafiki that they have friends in Oakville and that the world has not forgotten them. We are nourishing their bodies so that they can grow and fight off disease; we are feeding their minds so that they have the strength to concentrate and learn; and we are fuelling their spirits with hope so that they can heal and dream of a better future. These children are not statistics. They are living, breathing, feeling individuals that I have had the privilege and pleasure to meet," said Mulvale. Registration for Ride for Rafiki is $25 per person or $150 per team. Every Rafiki Rider receives a t-shirt, refreshments, is eligible for prizes (including a one year fitness membership at Revolution). If you are interested in joining a team -- or creating your own -- pick up a pledge form for Ride for Rafiki at Revolution Health and Fitness at Upper Oakville Shopping Plaza, 1011 Upper Middle Rd. E. or contact Mulvale at 905827-9633 or RafikiFriends@Yahoo.ca or lead organizer Adam Scott at AdamScott@RideforRafiki.ca or 416-9926387. The number of bikes available is limited so reserve early. If you don't want to ride, but do want to support our Rafiki Riders with a pledge, you can do so through PayPal at www.RideforRafiki.com or by providing cash or a cheque made payable to Strategies for LIFE RAFIKI.