Greg Wilson is not one to shy away from a challenge: from flying gliders to dancing Rock’n’Roll, Greg has thrown himself into many new adventures with great spirit and enthusiasm, always prepared to try anything at least once.
Luckily for CUFA, Greg’s newest adventure is Cycle Cambodia, a two week leadership challenge that will see him cycling around the exquisite Cambodian countryside to raise money for CUFA’s development projects. Along the way, Greg will see the Seventh Wonder of the World, Angkor Wat, and visit the people his fundraising will help to support.
For Greg, a long time employee of Summerland Credit Union, the challenge is an exciting opportunity to combine his love of cycling and passion for travel.
“I’m a keen cyclist and I enjoy travelling in Asia so the opportunity to combine the two sounded great. I recently spent 3 weeks in Vietnam and found the people very friendly. I’m suspecting Cambodia to be same, same but different, which should be interesting.”
So far Greg has managed to raise more than $5,000 through a number of fundraising initiatives. While he knew it wouldn’t be a walk in a park, he says he managed to come up with a number of successful strategies to help him raise the funds.
“I knew the fundraising would be a challenge…I decided to use a few different strategies to increase the chances of success. I tried to give people something instead of just asking for donations. I held a major raffle and managed to get some great prizes – an IPhone 6, a colour TV, a laptop, a computer tablet and gift vouchers at local restaurants…The credit union was supportive, allowing staff to sell the [raffle] tickets over the counter. Most of our branches were really helpful and sold at least one or two books of tickets.”
In preparation for the trip, Greg has continued his usual routine of cycling the 34km round trip to and from work three times a week, being careful not to avoid the hills. For Greg, his philosophy on hills matches that for all challenges in life: put in the work and you’ll reap the rewards.
“The hills are your friends – when you cycle up them you get fit, you get a view and a breeze at the top and you get to go ‘Whheee’ down the other side. What fun!”
When asked what he’s hoping to get out of the challenge, it is clear that Greg is keen to immerse himself in Cambodian culture and learn about the way of life and the nation’s rich history.
“I’d like to learn about Cambodia and meet the people there…I expect it will help me appreciate how people in other cultures live happy and fulfilled lives without many of the material possessions that we take for granted. After the troubles that Cambodia have suffered in the past, I suspect I’ll also gain a further respect for a people who are doing their best to improve their lives and country,” Greg says.
If you’d like to donate to Greg or any of our other Cycle Cambodia Challengers click here. All money raised goes towards CUFA’s projects.
To find out more about Cycle Cambodia and sign up for the 2016 Challenge, visit our Cycle Cambodia info page.
Article by Keira Morris-Akeroyd, Marketing Coordinator.
