Dear Anyone / Everyone (especially in 2012 and in the past years)!
I hope the start to the year has been a good one for you.
I must say a HUGE thank you for your support in 2012, and probably longer than that, as it was a very privileged and wonderful year where I was able to:
- ride, walk and journey 1000 miles in northwest, USA and BC, Canada while eating on $1.50 per day;
- travel across Canada for 5 months volunteering and working on advocacy with the Canadian public and government for the global eradication of polio;
- organise a polio dinner event with Rotary in Montreal for 125 people and attended by former Canadian PM, Paul Martin, raising awareness and $18,000 for polio eradication efforts
- attend the high level polio meeting at the United Nations General Assembly in New York;
- help in the organisation of the Global Citizen Festival – an awareness-raising and action concert in Central Park with 60,000 people there live and a further 15 million watching online and on TV;
- travel to Pakistan and India visiting polio programs on the ground and giving presentations adding to the 65 presentations and 3000 audience members I had presented to in Canada; and
- return home safely to Australia to refresh and get ready to do it all over again this year!
Sorry for the spiel/boast but really the support I receive from each of you and others in housing, transporting, feeding or talking to me makes it possible for me to work largely as a volunteer, follow my dreams and advocate for those who don’t the freedom, access and opportunities I have.
This year I am set to:
- lead polio eradication for the Global Poverty Project and The End of Polio campaign in Aotearoa New Zealand, while also implementing a personal little venture called Happy, simply. – a lifestyle model and education project;
- return to Australia for a month or so to keep the foreign aid budget in tact;
- a possible trip to Brunei and Pakistan for a PolioPoints school program with huge international implications; and
- for the final 6-7 months I will be volunteering on the Stop the Transmission Of Polio program likely to be in Africa, Afghanistan or Pakistan – a very exciting and rewarding year ahead!
- (and on top of this I will be a donor father for a friend of mine who is due to give birth on 14 April)
Before I step back into the office next Monday I wanted to give you all a big thank you for your support and know that it makes a huge difference to me and hopefully others I have learnt from…
Many big/huge/wonderful/happy Thanks
d’Arcy.
A few links on the past year and for 2013:
– My Live Below the Line trip of 2012 – http://lunnyLBTL.wordpress.com
– The polio advocacy work I did in Canada – http://www.theendofpolio.com/home/2012/06/the-presentation-and-engagement-with-polio/
– My time in Pakistan and India – https://lunny06.wordpress.com
– The Happy, simply. project – http://happysimply.wordpress.com/
Pretending to look formal and important!
Living Geography with d'Arcy 