TOMI Charity

The Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon provides runners a great day out and is also a fantastic way to give back to the community. The Two Oceans Marathon Initiative (TOMI) is the event’s official fundraising initiative that provides much needed support to select groups of charities that meet various criteria. The 2013 beneficiaries of TOMI were announced by the Two Oceans Marathon Association Board on 20 February 2013 and include SANParks Honorary Rangers, Western Province Athletics and The Cape Academy of Maths, Science and Technology.

Lester Cameron, Chairman of the Two Oceans Marathon Association, says: “Over R265 000 has already been raised and we look forward to seeing this number increase over the next few weeks.” He  goes on to explain that TOMI’s priorities lie with ensuring that the education and sporting needs of children are met, education facilities are provided and upgraded, and environmental issues, involving parks, flora and fauna are included. “We are confident that the charities chosen this year will allocate their funds to benefiting and uplifting their respective communities.”

The combination of marathon and mountain is an exciting collaboration between TOMI, SANParks and the Honorary Rangers and will provide support for a key Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) project. The SANParks Honorary Rangers in the Table Mountain region comprise of 35 volunteers who support TMNP by fundraising and working on a variety of conservation projects. Their project for 2013 is to create an Endangered Species Garden at Orpen Road in Tokai Park, which will highlight about 30 different threatened species. The garden will be easily accessible to everyone with paths wide enough for families and groups (such as school environment clubs, walkers and joggers).

The donation to Western Province Athletics (WPA) will fund a much-needed Club Development Programme. This programme will promote the development of people by instilling a sense of competence, belonging and pride, enabling them to reach their full potential. Due to the diversity of WPA members, continuously changing EXCO members and their daily commitments, many members across the province are facing a tough task and lack the proper guidance and necessary education to successfully manage, empower and grow their clubs. This programme reflects the WPA’s commitment to not only promoting the sport of athletics but to positively contribute to developing and transforming our society by improving the functioning and support of WPA affiliated clubs.

The Cape Academy of Maths, Science and Technology was started in 2004 by the Western Cape Education Department with the explicit objective to provide high-quality Further Education and Training (FET) to socio-economically deprived learners in Grades 10-12 with a bias to rural areas. The Academy currently has 405 learners from different areas in the Western, Eastern and Northern Cape in a residential school in Tokai. Funds donated by TOMI will be utilized to pay for school fees, hostel accommodation, stationery, school uniforms, medical & dental care and travel expenses.

If you would like to donate to TOMI, please visit www.twooceansmarathon.org.za/about-us/event-charity-tomi or EFT to the following bank details:

Bank: Nedbank
Branch Code: 198765
Account Number: 1077006233
Account Holder: Two Oceans Marathon Association