In August 2018, I'll be joining a group of people to ride from Byron Bay to Noosa, a 550km charity cycle challenge, to support the KIDS Foundation and to honor a young boy, Dalton, who changed many lives and inspired this organisation to expand its services to reach more children like Brock and Dalton. 

Dalton was a little boy who suffered from 80% burns to his body as a result of an accident as a young child. He died in 2010 after a second tragic accident, when his family were returning from a holiday and the car was hit by a surge of water. Dalton's spirit for life was infectious and he left an impact on everyone he met. He attended many KIDS Foundation Burn Survivor camps, with his family.  

The funds I raise will allow KIDS to support children and their families that suffered horrific burns and other injuries to cope with the physical and emotional after-effects of living with life-changing injuries. 

Here's a little about the KIDS Foundation

Did you know 5000 children attend an emergency departments of hospitals everyday from an injury, many are serious and result in life-changing injuries? Childhood injury is the leading cause of hospitalisations in Australia.

The KIDS Foundation is a small but effective injury prevention and recovery charity that has been operating for almost 25 years. Next year, the charity wiill directly reach 100,000 children and families with its Seemore Safety program. It’s mission is to keep children safe and create a better life for those living with serious injury and burns.

Help me as I take on this challenge 

I have taken on this challenge to raise awareness of the KIDS Foundation amongst my friends, family and colleagues and raise funds to enable KIDS to truly become a national leader in injury prevention and recovery strategies that tackle Australia’s childhood injury problem.

FACTS about KIDS:

- 83% funds go directly to running the KIDS injury prevention and recovery programs

- Direct reach is 20,000-30,000 children each year 

- KIDS has been operating for 23 years

- KIDS' work is internationally recognised with articles featured in the Australasian Journal of Early Childhood and Asia-Pacific Journal of Research in Early Childhood Education

- KIDS has received awards for their partnerships including a Prime Ministers Award for Community and Corporate Partnerships

I hope that you will consider supporting me in this challenge and help me to raise funds. 

Dig deep!

Martin