Legacy of Love cycling for hope
The Legacy of Love charity organisation said it will use this year’s Nedbank Desert Dash to spread a message of faith, understanding hope and giving love.This year’s Dash, where over 900 cyclists from 17 countries, takes place on 9 and 10 December 2022.
The highly anticipated single-stage mountain bike race sees cyclists riding 397km over 24 hours, through the Khomas Hochland and the Namib Desert to Swakopmund.
“The Nedbank Desert Dash is the biggest cycling event in Namibia, and a huge platform to spread a message of having faith, understanding hope and giving love,” said Legacy of Love co-founder, Ronel de Beer.
Ronel and her husband Sybrand established Legacy of Love in 2017 after the couple suddenly lost their eldest daughter, Lumé, at the age of 11 due to acute respiratory distress syndrome. Lumé’s incredible love for life and “love” notes in her journal, inspired her parents to use this platform to share the family’s story, inspire, heal, comfort and relate to other parents in a similar situation.
Through various projects that started and grew from a blog, Ronel said Legacy of Love creates awareness to love unconditionally, and to comfort those experiencing trauma. The Legacy of Love Trust was then solidified to support growing projects and events.
They have four major projects: Acts of Love, Legacy Sport, Legacy Retreats and Legacy Merchandise.
Under the project of Legacy Sport, the organisation uses activities such as cycling, running and golf as a platform to honour grieving parents, build awareness on how to support families going through loss, and generate funds to support the projects.
This will be the fifth time that Legacy of Love participates in the Nedbank Desert Dash, as they have participated since 2018. “It is also an opportunity to support those who are hurting and going through trauma as we dedicate the journey through the desert on the bike to those who have lost loved ones. The Desert Dash is also one of their few events for fundraising to provide for the following year’s expenses and allow projects to continue,” Ronel said.
Capacity needed
She added the organisation is facing huge challenges on the operational side, as they lack the human capacity to efficiently execute projects on a continuous level. “The administrative side of all the projects is also a challenge. Currently, we rely on volunteers mainly to assist with events and on the day of the event,” she said.
For the charity to become successful on the level they envision, Ronel said they will need to appoint someone on a freelance or part-time basis to assist, as well as secure resources to cover operational costs.
“At this stage, I am carrying the load, supported by my husband on a part-time basis. One person can only do so much,” she said.
Legacy of Love is grateful for the support it has been receiving from Nedbank Namibia.
“The support and endorsement we enjoy from Nedbank is without a doubt valuable. Nedbank also assisted Legacy of Love with two sponsored teams each year and has assisted by donating to small events throughout the year. We see them as part of the family with our Nedbank Desert Dash project, and hope that we can play an even bigger role in years to come,” Ronel said.
Johan Fourie, who will be representing Legacy of Love, has participated in the Nedbank Desert Dash several times, and says riding for a charity comes with a different experience. “Being able to do it for someone, even though the support is more spiritual than physical, is a wonderful privilege. We don’t always understand what people are going through,” he said.
Nedbank Namibia Manager for PR and Communications, Selma Kaulinge, says that over the years the Nedbank Desert Dash has become more than just a sporting event. “With each year of hosting the Dash, we not only see the great economic value it brings to the country, but we have also seen an increase of charities riding for a good cause.
“Our purpose at Nedbank is to be a money expert that does good for our staff, customers and communities. That is why assisting a number of charities to take part in the Nedbank Desert Dash is an obvious responsibility for us to take on,” Kaulinge says.