Cape Town - When the idea for the ‘Snors for a Cause’ testicular cancer fund-raising ride was first mooted back in October 2014, Harley-Davidson country manager for Africa Paul de Jongh thought it was great.
If each of South Africa’s 10 Harley-Davidson dealerships held a ‘Snors’ ride on the same day, and each ride attracted an average of 40 pledges, he reckoned, the campaign would raise at least R50 000 for More Balls than Most, the male side of breast cancer fundraising group Pink Drive.
So he put his faith in his customers on the line, publicly undertaking that whatever came out of the rides, Harley Davidson Africa would top up the pledges to a minimum of R50 000.
The rides, which were held on Saturday morning, 1 November, were a roaring success. The dealerships weighed in with snacks and entertainment and their customers challenged riders of other brands to put their ‘cojones’ where their mouths were.
Thousands of riders turned out across South Africa – including a representative from the Harley Owners Group of Mauritius, who brought a pledge of R1000 – far exceeding De Jongh’s conservative predictions.
INSPIRING RESULT
More than 100 riders attended each of the two rides in the Cape Town metropole, while some of the upcountry rides were even bigger.
The result was inspiring. A month later, with all the pledges in, representatives of all 10 South African dealerships were flown to Cape Town to co-sign a cheque for R100 000 – double De Jongh’s original target! – which was then handed over to Trisch Rosema, special events director for More Balls than Most, at Harley-Davidson Tygervalley in Cape Town .
And he hadn’t put in a cent, De Jongh said, all the money came from riders’ pledges.
“Making dreams of personal freedom come true is what we do,” he said. “That’s why raising awareness about the early detection of men’s cancer is so important to us.”
Thanking De Jongh - and all the riders who took part - Rosema said: “We will use this money for testicular and prostate cancer education and awareness at schools, communities and events, promoting early detection and treatment.”