In the UK, a new way to give to charity has been buzzing in the headlines, giving dangerously, that is.

We’re talking about “The Charity Challenge“, which is like a travel/tour operator with a unique twist – it gives people the chance to have a large-scale adventure holiday and at the same time, organizes it so that your holiday raises money for charity. Think of climbing Mount Everest or following an Inca trail in deepest Peru – terribly exciting and death-defying stuff, and you get to help others too along the way.

Actually, the unusual concept has been around for the past 15 years, established in 1991 by Erich Reich, who used to be a Director at Thomas Cook. He first got the idea when he was asked by a friend to help raise funds for a Children‘s Home in London. Reich rode for 400 kilometers in the Middle Easters desert and was inspired ever since.

His company, Classic Tours, has been booming ever since and leads as the world’s largest “Challenge Operator”. Just this year, the company will be taking over 3,000 participants on high-adrenalin challenges all over the world – from Brazil to Mongolia.

“Since 1991 we have helped approximately 120 charities raise something in the order of �32m, and that’s net, not gross.” Reich explains.

So how does it work?

Reich explains further:

“We then organise everything, from flights and accommodation to logistical support on the ground. On charity bike rides, for example, we have our own teams of mechanics. In the developing world, we even supply our own medics.

The nature of the challenge is very individual, some people have never camped before so for them it can be a challenge just to go to the loo behind a rock.”

Even though we’re a tour operator, no money comes directly to us from clients. We give the charity a cost per individual for the services on the ground and they pay us in turn,” says Reich.

Technorati Tags: charity challenge, charity event, charity tour, charity travel, charity trek

Categories: Campaigns, Charities, Fundraising, Holidays, Ideas | Tags: charity-challenge, charity-event, charity-tour, charity-travel, charity-trek

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What’s the big deal, some people have asked. That much money isn’t that much at all if you think about it, especially if you take into consideration what Kate Moss earns on a good day. Then again, if you were the recipient of that money, you would probably think otherwise. Any amount raised for a good cause makes the recipient feel grateful.

The big deal about this piece of news actually lies in how Kate Moss raised the amount. The news is that she kissed a stranger – the highest bidder – for this amount. The supermodel was the “flavor of the day” at the 2010 Mummy Rocks event in the UK. The aim of the event was to raise money for Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital. The bidding was actually held last year, but it was only now that the winner was able to claim his prize.

So, who is the lucky winner? Hosh Ibrahim is the gentleman who paid £5,000 – roughly $7,500 – to lock lips with the supermodel. After a year-long wait, the two players were finally able to get together to claim (and award) the prize.

So what does Kate Moss’ boyfriend have to say about the kiss? If news reports are to be believed, he was pretty game about it. As for Ibrahim, he says his money was well spent. To quote him: “She tastes as good as she looks!” Well, I bet that many a guy is envying him for that!

Now if we could only raise money this way as easily as Kate Moss was…

Categories: Charities, News | Tags: celebrity charity, charity-event, kate moss

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