Charlie Simpson, 7, raises £75,000 for Haiti earthquake victims with sponsored cycle ride
Last updated 1/26/2010 10:36:34 AM
Charlie Simpson raises £75000 for Haiti earthquake victims with sponsored cycle ride
A seven-year-old boy has raised an incredible sum of now over £80,000 for the victims of the Haiti earthquake by cycling around his local park.
Charlie Simpson hoped to raise £500 with a sponsored cycle around South Park in Fulham, London. But, fuelled by the Internet's word of mouth, Charlie's total has rocketed.
This morning the sum raised had already reached an extraordinary £74,910.27 – with donations from as far away as Hong Kong and New Zealand. Not bad for a little lad pedaling 7 laps - about 5 miles – around his nearby park.
"I want to make some money to buy food, water and tents for everyone in Haiti," Charlie explained. The funds raised will go to UNICEF and its efforts to help the stricken in Haiti. UNICEF describes itself as the world's leading organisation working for children and their rights in more than 190 countries. Together with its partners, UNICEF delivers health care, nutrition, education and protection to children in urgent need.
The earthquake on January 12 is one of the worst natural disasters to have struck in recent years. Some say the 7.0-magnitude quake killed as many as 200,000 people, while an estimated 1.5 million people have been left homeless.
One donor wrote on Charlie's JustGiving page: "Little Man - massive heart!! - brilliant effort Charlie." And another added: "You're an inspiration to us all Charlie. Well done - keep on cycling."
And, sharing our own views here at Optimist World, one sponser said: "Let's hope you make it to a million with all the publicity. You only hear seem to get bad things reported about the young these days so well done for balancing it out."
For more information on UNICEF go to www.unicef.org.uk and to support Charlie go to http://www.justgiving.com/CharlieSimpson-HAITI
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