My friend Sherry and I impulsively signed up to participate in the Taipei 101 Run Up on May 7, and we decided we could use the opportunity to raise money for the Cambodian Landmine Relief Fund (LMRF). I’ve mentioned this organization before as I visited their museum in Siem Reap while on a bike ride.
As the race is 2,046 steps and there are two of us, our goal is to raise a minimum of $2 per step for a total of $4,092. Obviously we hope to raise more than that minimum.
Why Cambodian Landmine Relief Fund?
I suggested the organization and Sherry agreed. I like LMRF because they do more than just remove landmines and unexploded bombs from Cambodia; they also help build schools and provide scholarships for local students.
I also know that they have low overhead costs, so more of the donations go to help Cambodians rather than to pay people running the organization. After talking with former US Army Lieutenant Bill Morse at the Landmine Museum, I learned a lot more than I thought I could about Cambodia and the work that needs to be done.
For Americans who want to donate, LMRF is a US-registered non-profit and donations are tax deductible.
Where does the money go?
All funds will go directly to Landmine Relief Fund.
According to the LMRF website:
- It cost $3 per month to support one child in an RSVP school. This includes a Village iPad (chalkboard), notebooks, and writing utensils.
- The cost of a school for the Rural School Village program is $5,000 per room. That includes desks and chalkboards. We usually build 4 or 5 room schools.
- The cost for a toilet block and water well for the students and village is $1,250 each.
- The monthly cost of running a demining mission is $20,000.
- The cost to keep our EOD teams in the field is $6,250 per month per team
What is the Taipei 101 Run Up?
It’s a race up the stairs at Taiwan’s tallest skyscaper. We will run up 2,046 stairs, which doesn’t sound like much, but consider that if we climb one step per second it will take 34 minutes to reach the top. The record for the race is 10 minutes 29 seconds. Neither Sherry nor I plan on coming close to that record. We hope to finish in 30 minutes and not be dead last in the race. We will be racing against 2,998 other individuals, so there’s a good chance some people will be less physically fit than we are.
We realize that this run is crazy, but we’re willing to do it (and there will be medical staff at the race).
How can I donate to Landmine Relief Fund?
Go to their website or directly to their PayPal donation page. We are not handling any of the money. I had considered using a third-party website, but they charge high fees to raise money for non-profits. This is the most efficient way to raise money.
You can also send their US office a check if you don’t have PayPal or don’t trust it. Information is on their website.
Please add a note when donating to LMRF that it’s for Matthew and Sherry’s ridiculous run up the stairs (you don’t need to use those exact words, but you can just say its for Taipei 101 Run Up).
What do I get for donating?
You get the satisfaction of knowing that you’ll make a difference in the world. And if you make a significant donation, you can email me at matthew.lubin[at]BoozeFoodTravel.com and I will send you a thank you postcard. Or you can go to the contact page.
