Last Call for the Grand Slam for Kenya
A “Hey Come Have Some Free Brats With Me” Note from Fatty: Celebrating the fact that the Grand Slam for Kenya has raised more than $100,000, World Bicycle Relief is going to put on a free bratwurst dinner on Wednesday, 8/12 6pm – 8pm, at 201 W 8th Street in Leadville.
Come have a brat with The Hammer, Reba and me, talk about the race, and celebrate the change we’ve made in hundreds of Kenyan schoolchildren’s lives.
Click here to RSVP, so I’ll know you’re coming, OK?
Where We Stand
We’re down to the final couple days of the Grand Slam for Kenya. It ends Friday. If you want to win one of the six incredible bikes or two amazing trips, you’re running out of time to donate. (So click here to go donate now.)
Meanwhile, let’s take a quick look back at what we’ve done so far.
- 733 different people have made donations
- There have been 786 donations, which means 53 of you have donated more than once. Thanks!
- The average donation amount is currently $132. That’s very close to the cost of a Buffalo bike, and a very clear indicator that you are the most generous readers in the world.
- People in 48 of the 50 United States have donated. Which is amazing…and also maked me wonder what I’ve got to do to get Delaware and North Dakota on board.
- People in six of the ten Canadian Provinces have donated. Thanks Canadians!
- People from 19 different countries have donated. That, I think, is the most amazing number of all. This fundraiser has truly been worldwide.
Between this fundraiser and the one I did with the Thompsons a few months ago, this site has (as of this writing) raised $128,415. That is just $18,585 away from the $147,000 goal (the cost of 1000 bikes) I have set.
I think that’s achievable. Especially if you Delawarians and Northerly Dakotans loosen up your wallets.
Big Thanks
The breadth and depth of this contest has been…huge. I want to thank Katie and Claire for logistics support (and for negotiating many of the prizes) in this contest, as well as for doing the actual drawings.
I want to thank the good folks at ENVE, both for sponsoring Team MTN-Qhubeka, and for providing the incredible team replica bike as a prize. Good heavens that thing is gorgeous (and has been a huge fan favorite, judging from the massive number of donations it has inspired).
I want to thank Chuck Ibis and the entire Ibis tribe. This man and this company have supported my fundraisers for pretty much ever, even as their bikes become so droolworthy that people have to get in line to buy them.
I want to thank the first and last name in mountain bikes: Gary Fisher. A lot of companies are willing to part with their products in the name of charity; Gary is willing to donate his time. That’s incredibly generous and is a prize I’m just deliriously happy to have inserted myself into.
I want to thank Specialized for donating not just the bike in this contest, but the bike in my contest this last Spring. And, I should mention, it also provides bikes to WBR athlete ambassadors. This is a company that has shown a lot of commitment to the WBR cause.
I want to thank Juliana Bikes for joining in and donating a Nevis frame. Some lucky woman donor is going to be riding a seriously hot bike soon because of this great company.
I want to thank InGamba for donating the most amazing cycling vacation I could ever imagine. Whoever wins this prize is going to have extraordinary bragging rights. Cycling in Italy for twelve days…are you kidding me?
I doubly want to thank Trek, because it provided not just one bike for this contest, but it went the extra mile and provided two. Plus it helped facilitate the prize with Gary Fisher.
I want to thank SRAM, both for their support of this contest and for their ongoing support of World Bicycle Relief. I love the way this for-profit business puts so much heart and so many resources into this world-changing foundation.
And most of all, I want to thank those of you who have donated — and those of you who are going to donate today. I simply cannot grasp how I’ve managed to have the good fortune to have you as readers and friends, but I am grateful for you every single day.
What Next?
Friday, The Hammer and I start working our way to Leadville, so expect short little posts while we’re vacationing. The week after that, I’ve got a big company offsite thing going on…but I’ve also got a treat for you: a multi-part story that’s all ready to go. You’ll hardly even notice I’m gone.
After that, well, the fun part of the season begins, and I’m looking forward to writing about it as it happens.
Comment by BostonCarlos (formerly NYC) | 08.6.2015 | 12:07 pm
Can I thank everyone who’s donated and all of the amazing sponsors too? I’m really impressed with all of this. $147,000 seemed unattainable at first. now it’s totally within reach.
Can we also thank YOU, Fatty? Thank YOU for putting this all together. Thank YOU for introducing us, the readership, to WBR. Most of all, thank YOU for producing amazing content, day after day and year after year, that brought this amazing community together. Without you, I wouldn’t know the Thompsons, let alone visit them and the rest of the bay-area Fatties twice a year. I wouldn’t know all of the East Coast fatties that I know. More importantly, none of these people would know ME! I kid. But seriously, thank you for putting this together, and bringing us together. It’s a life changer for so many people – not just those in Africa.
Comment by leroy | 08.6.2015 | 1:03 pm
I second Boston Carlos. A HUGE thank you to Elden, Katie, and Claire. This is your doing; we’re just along enjoying the ride, tapping a few keys on a keyboard to help you guys make the world a better place.
Have a blast at Leadville!
My dog and I can’t make it. I’m going to defrost a Bratwurst and tell him it’s a peace offering from you via UPS.
He’s been complaining that you identified your contributors as 733 different people.
He says you missed at least 1 dog.
I don’t think he’s serious. Ordinarily, he’s tickled pink when folks think he’s just “different people.”
And now that I think about it, it was my credit card he used.
Comment by ClydeinKS | 08.6.2015 | 1:06 pm
@BostonCarlos put it so nicely and “ditto” just doesn’t weigh enough for the magnitude of thanks needed to be given.
Thank YOU Fatty once again for providing the platform for all of us to make a difference, and also for the break in the day you provide with wonderful race reports, breaking news stories, tips, and other inner workings of your mind. I second the remark of this arena being life changing.
Comment by Ann | 08.6.2015 | 1:12 pm
Thank you for all that you all do!!! As a bike lover an a sponsor of children’s education in Kenya for that last 10 years, I have seen first hand how complicated giving a hand up to those in need can be. I love how bikes are one of the best “simple” solutions that addresses so many life issues!!! Thanks again!
Comment by Corrine | 08.6.2015 | 1:33 pm
I agree with everybody’s comments above. What an amazing fundraiser! Thank you, Fatty, and your team for organizing this and raising money to help others. And good luck to all of us who donated in winning one of these fantastic prizes!
Now, can we hear the finish to the race report? I love the race reports and want to hear the rest of the story.
Comment by Doug (Way Upstate) | 08.6.2015 | 2:22 pm
Huzzah! Fatty Nation is awesome and bikers are one of the best communities in the world.
I so wish I was heading to Colorado to be in Leadville next week. Elden make sure my brat goes to a worthy person. Come to think of it, make Jeff D eat mine (as well as his). He is coming to understand Leadville is really as you say, “an eating contest” so I give him mine.
Comment by Jeff Dieffenbach | 08.6.2015 | 2:53 pm
I just hit up all of my cycling friends in DE (where I used to live, where I went to college, and where my sons went or go). Hope that brakes the DE o-fer!
Comment by Babsonabike | 08.6.2015 | 3:03 pm
Damn – I am sitting in my office in Delaware right now! But I live in PA…
Comment by Claire Geiger | 08.6.2015 | 3:30 pm
To donate from Canada, click here: http://ca.worldbicyclerelief.org/donate
Please forward your confirmation email to Claire at cgeiger@worldbicyclerelief.org and we’ll add you to the contest!
Comment by NZ Michelle | 08.6.2015 | 3:50 pm
Awesome competition for an awesome cause! I add my less eloquent thanks to the others above. Such great odds to win such great prizes, all the while enjoying the happy glow of feeling like you have helped change lives. Pretty darn cool. Cheers Fatty.
Comment by Jeff Dieffenbach | 08.6.2015 | 5:00 pm
DE is done. Your move, ND.
Comment by Eva | 08.7.2015 | 3:41 am
Thanking You indeed, Fatty, for making it possible for us all to be part of this. Fatty family rocks! Let us continue to change life in Africa one bike at a time.
Comment by MattC | 08.7.2015 | 7:40 am
OK…you’re another bike closer to the BIG goal Fatty…I’m all tapped out tho…(no more contest’s until next year PLEASE?) Congrats on a FANTASTIC contest, and WAY TO GO Team FATTY!
Comment by AKChick | 08.7.2015 | 10:17 am
I’m humbled to be a part of this process (through donating). Thank you for doing what you do and connecting with amazing people and organizations to make these exciting giveaways happen. I can’t wait to see who wins! :)
Comment by Jim Tolar | 08.7.2015 | 11:43 am
FatMan,
Is is just me, or do you still owe us the conclusion to Crusher in the Tushar (Part 3, I think)?
jt
Comment by Mayhemnsuz | 08.7.2015 | 11:43 am
I’m also from Delaware and was feeling the pressure. Thanks for getting it done Jeff D. and I will share this around to my friends who are still there. Thanks Fatty for a spectacular event for a great cause. I hope North Dakota gets it done soon.
Comment by Jeff Dieffenbach | 08.7.2015 | 1:20 pm
For the record, I’m from DE (grades 3 through end of college), but now in Boston. So I strong-armed a friend from high school. *HE* is the one who got it done. (If he wins, though, I’ll be kicking myself …)
Comment by Tom in Albany | 08.10.2015 | 11:39 am
Wow!!!Great set of prizes!
By the way, will you EVER finish your Crusher race report? You’re still stuck in the mtns!!
Comment by Mayhemnsuz | 08.10.2015 | 1:04 pm
I’m in DC (Delaware from birth through college), but hope that some of my DE friends picked up on this from my links to add to pot for WBR. Good job on strong arming your friend, Jeff D, if he wins, you should get to borrow his bike (or he should bring you a really good present from his trip)
Comment by MattC | 08.11.2015 | 8:03 am
All right everybody…please fess up if you’re a winner…inquiring minds want to know! (I also would like to know when to STOP incessantly checking my email).
We know Fatty is busy up in Leadville hi sweek…so Katie (if you’re out there), is there any way to give us a status report of how many winners have been confirmed?
Comment by MattC | 08.11.2015 | 8:06 am
rats….that’s supposed to be “in Leadville this week”, not “in Leadville hi sweek”…need more coffee…fingers not awake yet.
Comment by JeffL | 08.11.2015 | 11:20 am
I’ll second that! We need a count down of prizes awarded….please! Every time my iPad dings I frantically open my email. Killing me.
Comment by GenghisKhan | 08.11.2015 | 11:49 am
I can confirm that I have not (yet?!) received a winning email! But still hoping/waiting!
Comment by Corrine | 08.11.2015 | 11:58 am
I agree. Does anybody know what time the emails will be going out? Anxiously awaiting and rechecking email in between patients at work today.
Comment by zeeeter | 08.11.2015 | 12:19 pm
“The winner will be notified by email of the prize won and any requisite procedure to claim the prize. The winners will also be announced on World Bicycle Relief and Fat Cyclist Twitter feeds and blogs on August 11th at 11am CST.”
Comment by leroy | 08.11.2015 | 1:10 pm
I don’t mean to brag, but my dog just called to tell me he got an email saying we won and all we have to do is have me go to Times Square this evening to pick up our prize.
He says I’m supposed to dress like the Times Square Naked Cowboy so they know it’s me.
He didn’t tell me what prize he picked.
He wants it to be a surprise.
Comment by JeffL | 08.11.2015 | 4:04 pm
I’m so confused…the contest rules also state, “Prize drawing will be held and winning certificate number will be announced on August 12th, 2015.” Then, later in the same paragraph it says winners will be notified and announced on the 11th. So, Fatty is messing with our minds again! Devious!
Comment by spaceyace | 08.11.2015 | 6:51 pm
I’m afraid I just deleted Katie’s email accidentally in my spam folder. Can you have her resend it? I would email her myself if I had the address… I know it was something like viagra_cialis@pharmacy.net but not sure about the underscore. Thanks!