Racing for Research
Donation protected
Hi there! Thank you so much for taking the time to visit this page and to learn a bit more about my fundraising goals. My name is Rochelle, I just turned 29 years old, and I got the greatest birthday present ever: an invitation to compete in the 2021 Gaucho Derby, to take place in March! This race is hosted by the organization, The Adventurists, and is a 500 kilometer race across the wild terrain of Patagonia in Argentina! Since this is only the second year of the race, the rules are still a bit unclear, and I am not entirely sure what I signed up for, but that is part of the fun of it! Over the course of 10 days, I will be crossing mountain passes, meadows of pampas, and miles of rolling hills. Throughout these 10 days, I will switch horses every 50 - 100 kilometers, which means that I will get to ride several Argentine Criollo horses that I have never met before, in an area of the world that looks like it came to life from some fantastical book - how incredible is that?!
To make this race even more meaningful, and to provide myself with some motivation so that I don’t give up when I get lost in the mountains of Patagonia (which is bound to happen), I have decided to dedicate this race to my unbelievably amazing, strong, inspiring mom by raising money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in her name. Having just won her own battle with breast cancer, I am hoping to celebrate her victory with a victory of my own and a $13,000 donation to St. Jude in her name. Here is my idea: this race is 500km long, so I am hoping to find a sponsor for each and every kilometer that I race. To sponsor a kilometer, I am asking for a $50 donation…for every $50 donated, $30 will go to St. Jude and the other $20 will go toward my entry fee (I will be contributing $5,000 myself). Please keep in mind that $50 is merely a suggestion – if you would like to donate a smaller sum or a larger amount, that is absolutely fine; I will happily welcome donations of any amount and will be totally thrilled about every dollar that we raise!
While St. Jude specializes in helping children and their families as they deal with the physical, financial, and emotional reality of having a child battling cancer, the research that takes place within their facility helps people of all ages, all over the world. Treatments designed at St. Jude have bumped the overall childhood cancer survivor rate from just 20% to over 80% since opening in 1962! As a research institution, St. Jude has conducted more clinical trials for cancer treatment than any other children's hospital in the world. As a result of this extensive research, St. Jude is able to provide hundreds of free consultations for doctors around the world. The impact that St. Jude has is felt around the world; to learn more about the life-changing work that takes place there, please visit https://www.stjude.org.
If you do choose to make a donation and feel especially attached to a certain kilometer of the race, feel free to claim that one, otherwise, I will just ‘assign’ kilometers by the order in which I receive donations. I will do my best to keep an updated list of sponsors and kilometers as we go, but if I fall behind, I will definitely have one made by race day so that I can think of each of you as I chug along.
Since the race is scheduled for February 28 - March 13, I am hoping to have all of these funds raised by December 1st, 2020. If you have any questions or would like to learn more about the work that St. Jude is doing, the details of the race, or how exactly your donations will be used for my entry fee, please do not hesitate to contact me; I'd love to chat about it :) Thank you so very much for taking the time to read through this and for even considering a donation. Your support - whether financial or emotional - means so much to me and will help me to get across that finish line!
To make this race even more meaningful, and to provide myself with some motivation so that I don’t give up when I get lost in the mountains of Patagonia (which is bound to happen), I have decided to dedicate this race to my unbelievably amazing, strong, inspiring mom by raising money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in her name. Having just won her own battle with breast cancer, I am hoping to celebrate her victory with a victory of my own and a $13,000 donation to St. Jude in her name. Here is my idea: this race is 500km long, so I am hoping to find a sponsor for each and every kilometer that I race. To sponsor a kilometer, I am asking for a $50 donation…for every $50 donated, $30 will go to St. Jude and the other $20 will go toward my entry fee (I will be contributing $5,000 myself). Please keep in mind that $50 is merely a suggestion – if you would like to donate a smaller sum or a larger amount, that is absolutely fine; I will happily welcome donations of any amount and will be totally thrilled about every dollar that we raise!
While St. Jude specializes in helping children and their families as they deal with the physical, financial, and emotional reality of having a child battling cancer, the research that takes place within their facility helps people of all ages, all over the world. Treatments designed at St. Jude have bumped the overall childhood cancer survivor rate from just 20% to over 80% since opening in 1962! As a research institution, St. Jude has conducted more clinical trials for cancer treatment than any other children's hospital in the world. As a result of this extensive research, St. Jude is able to provide hundreds of free consultations for doctors around the world. The impact that St. Jude has is felt around the world; to learn more about the life-changing work that takes place there, please visit https://www.stjude.org.
If you do choose to make a donation and feel especially attached to a certain kilometer of the race, feel free to claim that one, otherwise, I will just ‘assign’ kilometers by the order in which I receive donations. I will do my best to keep an updated list of sponsors and kilometers as we go, but if I fall behind, I will definitely have one made by race day so that I can think of each of you as I chug along.
Since the race is scheduled for February 28 - March 13, I am hoping to have all of these funds raised by December 1st, 2020. If you have any questions or would like to learn more about the work that St. Jude is doing, the details of the race, or how exactly your donations will be used for my entry fee, please do not hesitate to contact me; I'd love to chat about it :) Thank you so very much for taking the time to read through this and for even considering a donation. Your support - whether financial or emotional - means so much to me and will help me to get across that finish line!
Organizer
Rochelle Latka
Organizer
Jackson, WY