Published July 12, 2011 12:05
The KFC Ironman 4 the Kidz charity auction brought in a staggering R25 000 with David Wright the proud owner of the Union Jack signed by none other than Chrissie Wellington. The announcement was made by Garth Wright and Gary Stephenson at the KFC Ironman 4 the Kidz cheque presentation on 7 July 2011 at the Garden Court Hotel Port Elizabeth.
When the efforts to do good join forces the outcome can only be extraordinary and in the world of Ironman many have come to learn that anything is possible. This certainly came to the fore this year when triple Ironman world champion and Ironman world record holder, Chrissie Wellington and the KFC Ironman 4 the Kidz collaborated to raise money for the children of the Eastern Cape by auctioning off a Union Jack personally autographed by the great athlete.
An initiative that was devised after the highly successful 2011 Spec-Savers Ironman South Africa became a reality when women’s champion, Chrissie Wellington, generously donated a signed Union Jack to be auctioned off for the charity. Wellington has become synonymous for her dominating performances, contagious smile, and iconic Blazeman Log Roll wherever she goes. Together with these, the Briton also proudly sports her native colours after completing each race by displaying the Union Jack while enthralling the crowds and giving the press their fill.
Bidding opened on 15 June 2011 and generated a large amount of interest from the get go with bids streaming in, in an effort to own the priceless piece of sporting memorabilia. At 18:00 on 6 July 2011, when bidding officially closed, the highest bid stood at a staggering R25 000 from David Wright who hails from Johannesburg. Wright, no relation to founding trustee Garth Wright, has completed the 2011 Spec-Savers Ironman 70.3 South Africa. He thus has close ties to the event and made the bid to own a piece of the sport’s history.
The R25 000 generated from the auction was added to the total amount raised by the charity pushing it up to R1, 35 million for the year 2011. The charity managed to surpass their target of R1, 2 million much to the delight of the numerous beneficiaries. At the cheque presentation in Port Elizabeth, Garth Wright underlined what the charity stands for. “We have a strong belief that every child should receive love, care and hope. We firmly believe that it is not their privilege, but their right,” he said.
At the cheque presentation, both Garth Wright and Stephenson thanked Wellington for her generous contribution and will be making the official handover to David Wright personally in the near future. Garth Wright also announced that the charity’s target for 2012 is set at R1, 5 million as they continue to do wonderful things for the lives of the children of the Eastern Cape in the various child-based charities that benefit from the KFC Ironman 4 the Kidz.
