Eyes Open Ride | Non-profit organisation

Eyes Open Ride

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25.01.2022 Happy Sunday all. Here's me finally arriving home and parking the bike in the same spot I rode off from, 19,131kms and 85 days later! Please click the following link to check out the blog post for the last few weeks - has taken me a bit to get over my ride: https://www.eyesopenride.com.au//18/week-12-14-30-may-19-j... I have been battling a bit of an illness but feel that I am starting to finally shake it and feel myself again. As I write this, you lovely people have donated $44,578 to the Children's Cancer Foundation - thank you to you all. With my $50,000 in personal matching donations to hospitals all around the country now complete (I jumped the gun a bit), we as a team have pledged $94,578 to help sick children all around the country. Please do help me reach the ultimate target of $50,000 in public donations (and $100,000 as a team total!) and head on over to https://childrenscancerfoundation.secure.force.com/CICD__Fu to donate if you can, every dollar helps and donations will close at the end of June. All the best for the week ahead. James

24.01.2022 Evening all. FINAL WEEK FOR DONATIONS! No blog post this week, as I have not been up to much other than recovering from my ride, nursing a terribly sore neck/back, and contemplating my return to normality and the impending job hunt...... However, it is the FINAL WEEK for donations! Currently, you amazing people have donated $46,148 to the Children's Cancer Foundation! With my personal matching donation of $50,000 to hospitals around the country complete, this means that, as a team, we have pledged a MASSIVE $96,148 to help sick children all around Australia - how good! Please help me hit the $50,000 in public donations target and head on over to https://childrenscancerfoundation.secure.force.com/CICD__Fu to donate and get involved. Donations will close 1 July, so please, if you have been wanting to get involved, now is the time - every dollar helps! All the best for the week ahead. James

23.01.2022 Today I made my final personal donation of my motorcycle ride around Australia. Was happy to present a cheque for $10,000 to the Women's and Children's Hospital this morning. Pictured here with me are some of the lovely team at the Hospital.... Unfortunately I am battling a bit of an illness so couldn't visit the wards today - luckily I am relocating to Adelaide so will pop round for a tour in the next few weeks when I am healthy! If any of you have enjoyed hearing me sound awkward on the radio at various points on my trip, please tune into Channel 9 News between 4:30pm-5pm this arvo to see me be awkward on live TV (will be sure to watch my mouth). I will be visiting the 9 News Adelaide studio for a chat and will be on air at some point before 5pm (4:40pm-ish is the latest word). While I have now finished my personal donations and have officially donated $50,000 spread across Australian Hospitals, I need your help to reach the ultimate $100,000 goal! Currently, you wonderful people have donated $35,543 to the Children's Cancer Foundation (bringing us, as a team, to a total of $85,543 pledged in the battle against childhood cancer!). If you are able to donate and are keen to get involved, please head on over to https://childrenscancerfoundation.secure.force.com/CICD__Fu and do so. Cheers James

23.01.2022 We did it! Today we officially ticked over $50,000 in donations to the Children's Cancer Foundation! With my matching $50,000 in personal donations to hospitals around Australia complete, we as a team have now smashed the $100,000 combined initial target!... Sincerely, thank you to each and every one of you for helping make a difference in the lives of ill children and their families all around Australia. On a personal (and somewhat selfish) note, this is one of the proudest days/achievements of my life and I hope the old man would be chuffed - it has been an amazing journey. I am also absolutely stoked to announce that there are a couple of substantial and special donations still to roll in, so I will be leaving the donation page open until sometime next week and look forward to sharing the grand total figure with you all then. There is never too much of a good thing in committing to helping ill children, so please do head on over to https://childrenscancerfoundation.secure.force.com/CICD__Fu and donate if you still want to get involved while the page is still live. Have safe and happy weekends, and thanks once again. James

21.01.2022 Week 9 Blog Post is up! Was awesome to have my younger brother Alex join me during Week 9 for the Gold Coast to Sydney leg. Alex joined me in a support car and certainly saved my skin keeping me safe through the heavy rains down to Sydney, you can read all about it in my blog post here: https://www.eyesopenride.com.au/eye-open-//week-9-9-15-may... As I write this, $30,469 has been donated to the Children's Cancer Foundation! With my matching donations directed toward hospitals around Australia, this means that, as a team, we have pledged $60,938 in the battle against childhood cancer! Thank you so much to you all, especially for cracking the $30,000 barrier! As always, you can donate by clicking this link: https://childrenscancerfoundation.secure.force.com/CICD__Fu Please do chuck in a few dollars if you can spare them, every single donation is greatly appreciated by the Children's Cancer Foundation and myself, and I am definitely on the home straight of my journey! All the best for the week ahead. James

21.01.2022 Hi all If you're having a slow Monday, please click the following link to check out my Week 10 blog post: https://www.eyesopenride.com.au//20/5/22/week-10-16-22-may As I write this, $32,274 has been donated to the Children's Cancer Foundation!... With my matching donations directed toward hospitals and organisations around Australia, this means that, as a team, we have pledged $64,548 in the battle against childhood cancer! Thank you so much to you all. As always, you can donate by clicking here: https://childrenscancerfoundation.secure.force.com/CICD__Fu Every single donation is greatly appreciated by the Children's Cancer Foundation and myself. My journey is not too far away from finishing, so, if you have not yet donated and you are keen to do so, please do consider it over the next week or so! All the best for the week ahead. James

20.01.2022 I've had a few discussions with friends lately about how wonderful it would be if all prominent business men and women, as well as celebrities, made it a focus of theirs to give back to the community (in saying this, I am aware that many already do). The public follow their actions so closely and it would a fantastic way to help develop the philanthropic and community culture in Australia. Not sure if you caught it but, this morning in Canberra, Andrew 'Twiggy' Forrest and hi...s wife Nicola announced Australia's largest philanthropic donation of $400 MILLION for a variety of social and scientific causes. Check the story out here: http://www.theaustralian.com.au//f60c5f8405b349a71a55ff929 Wonderful stuff, and yes, a portion of the donation is going toward targeting cancer treatments and hoping to make lethal cancer history for future generations - how good! I am hoping that a portion is directed to childhood cancer, and will follow the developing story with interest. Quick update on me - I have reached Melbourne safely and am enjoying some beaut weather. Post wouldn't be complete without a quick plug for my own ride so, please head on over to my donation page at: https://childrenscancerfoundation.secure.force.com/CICD__Fu and flick a few dollars to the Children's Cancer Foundation. I am getting close to the home stretch of my ride so please get involved if you can. We're at the $32,000 mark and going strong, so thank you. I also have some fundraising news that I am excited to share with you soon! Cheers James

20.01.2022 Great to drop into ABC Riverland today and chat with Stacey Lymbery ABC Breakfast Presenter. Doubly as great to have my grandpa Clack in with me. I've spent much of my first few days at home sleeping and am now starting to come good, just in time for the weekend!... If you haven't yet, and are keen to do so, please head on over to https://childrenscancerfoundation.secure.force.com/CICD__Fu and donate to the Children's Cancer Foundation if you can. Cheers James

17.01.2022 Thanks to Renae from the Alice Springs Hospital for sending this through! This is an extract from the Alice Springs Hospital newsletter. Seeing my donations go to work and hearing about how they can help kids in need is one of the most rewarding experiences of my ride.... Remember, your donations to the Children's Cancer Foundation motivate me to make my personal matching donations to hospitals all around Australia. To date, all you amazing people have donated $34,543 to the Children's Cancer Foundation - $69,086 with my matching donations to hospitals all around the country. Not long to go on my ride, so please do head on over to https://childrenscancerfoundation.secure.force.com/CICD__Fu and donate if you can. You can check out more about my ride at www.eyesopenride.com.au, please do reach out and get in touch if you want to learn more about what I'm up to. Cheers James

17.01.2022 Happy Friday guys. Long time no speak - I avoid social media like the plague these days after the overload of it all on my ride. However, when things like this pop up and the money you donated is deployed I will still post about it in this group to keep you in the loop! For those that may still be interested, the legends at the Children's Cancer Foundation have today put my Eyes Open Ride journey up as an 'impact story' on their website.... Can check it out at the below link and read my summary of my ride (i.e. quick debrief of trip and total fundraising amounts reached) as well as some quick tips for setting out on your own fundraising endeavours. It's also another opportunity to check out the Foundation website and the amazing work they do! Check it: http://childrenscancerfoundation.com.au//imp/riding-reason

16.01.2022 Afternoon all. Please click the following link to read the Eyes Open Ride Week 11 blog post: https://www.eyesopenride.com.au//20/5/30/week-11-23-29-may I certainly continued to to feel the cold as I moved through Tasmania, but am now on the home stretch and only have just over a week on the road to go!... As I write this, $33,699 has been donated to the Children's Cancer Foundation. With my matching donations directed toward hospitals and organisations around Australia, this means that, as a team, we have pledged $67,398 in the battle against childhood cancer! Thank you so much to you all. As always, you can donate by clicking here: https://www.eyesopenride.com.au//20/5/30/week-11-23-29-may Every single donation is greatly appreciated by the Foundation and myself, and again, my journey is not too far away from finishing, so, if you have not yet donated and you are keen to do so, please do consider it over the next week or so! All the best for the week ahead. James

16.01.2022 Morning all. About to set off on my final leg home to Paringa! Here is my appearance on 9 News Adelaide last night: https://www.facebook.com//vb.1534900570/1710274899276472/... It is true that the camera adds 10 pounds. That or it's all the roadhouse food over the past 3 months, but let's go with the former. As always, please head on over to https://childrenscancerfoundation.secure.force.com/CICD__Fu to donate if you can, every dollar is appreciate by myself and the Children's Cancer Foundation. Cheers James

14.01.2022 Today I made my sixth personal donation of my motorcycle ride around Australia! Was great to drop by the Canberra Camp Quality office and donate $2,500 to this brilliant organisation. Camp Quality receives NO government funding - the organisation relies solely on donations and fundraising efforts to facilitate the amazing programs they run for children battling cancer.... Through amazing camping experiences, Camp Quality helps connect kids and families going through what can be an isolating and certainly scary time with others in the same boat - a truly wonderful and valuable initiative. Thanks to Sonia, the Camp Quality Regional Manager (pictured here with me), for grabbing a coffee with me and filling me in on the work done by the organisation. By way of an update, as I write this, you generous people have donated $31,349 to the Children's Cancer Foundation! Remember, with me matching your donations to the Foundation dollar for dollar with my personal donations spread across hospitals and organisations such as Camp Quality around Australia, as a team we have pledged $62,698 in the battle against childhood cancer! As always, if you can spare a dollar, please do head on over to https://childrenscancerfoundation.secure.force.com/CICD__Fu and donate if you can, the Children's Cancer Foundation and myself appreciate all of your support on my ride. James

10.01.2022 So, after 85 days and 19,131kms, I have arrived back home in Paringa, parking my motorbike in the exact same spot I took off from - the big lap is complete! Today I was joined by two very special guests for my final leg home. Sitting on the other good looking motorbike is Steven Ayling, my father's childhood friend - the man who wrote the letter to my family telling of his and my late father's plan to ride around Australia on their motorbikes.... Were it not for Steven, this ride of mine would never have happened. I am truly thankful to Steven for kickstarting what has been the ride of a lifetime. The other fella in the middle is my 89 years-young grandfather, Clack. Clack hadn't been on a motorbike since 1956, but was all too keen to jump on the back of Steven's bike (didn't trust me obviously...) for the last leg home. I hope I have inherited those genetics and am still keen to go for a hoon when I'm 89. Clack has been a role model of mine throughout my life and it was amazing to have him join me for the home stretch - he was always very proud of my old man and I loved being able to get him involved in my ride. Was a pretty special way to end my trip. However, the journey is not quite over! Donations are open until end of June and, now I am back home safely, I will be singing and dancing and generally doing anything to drum up donations (something I probably should have done before I left...) for the Children's Cancer Foundation until 1 July so please, keep following my page and keep an eye out for some great opportunities and auction items/prizes to get your hands on! If you wanted to wait until I actually did what I said I was going to do and complete this ride before you donated, or you feel like donating again, head on over to https://childrenscancerfoundation.secure.force.com/CICD__Fu to get involved! For me, I'm currently enjoying a coffee looking out over the beautiful River Murray, the view is just as good as I left it. James

08.01.2022 The other day I dropped by my old law firm, Herbert Smith Freehills, to share my ride with some of my old colleagues. What a privilege it was I had a great time catching up with many of the great people I worked with while living in Brisbane. I also managed to get my motorbike 30 stories up above the Brisbane River how good! Herbert Smith Freehills has been incredibly supportive throughout my ride.... The firm has generously donated $5,000 to the Children's Cancer Foundation, and have committed to matching employee donations up to another $5,000 potentially resulting in a $15,000 total contribution by the firm and its employees to the Children's Cancer Foundation! I have been truly overwhelmed by the support and am very thankful that I spent time working at a firm where community initiatives are strongly supported. It has been very humbling. Pictured here with me are Vic Brockhall (rocking the mic), who was instrumental in coordinating the support and my presentation day, and HSF Partner Kirsty Faichen, one of my favourite partners at the firm and an active supporter of many of the community initiatives the firm is involved in. I have now reached Sydney after being absolutely drenched in rain all day down the east coast, and have farewelled my younger brother who made the trip down from the Gold Coast with me! I look forward to sharing that experience with you soon. As always, please head to this link directly: https://childrenscancerfoundation.secure.force.com/CICD__Fu to donate in support of the Children’s Cancer Foundation and my ride, and check out www.eyesopenride.com.au to see my journey in full. PS: the room did eventually have some people sitting in those chairs as entertaining as it may have been to present to an empty room! In addition, here is further evidence of my great track record with photos, surely shouldn't be that hard to keep your eyes open? Best James

08.01.2022 Today I visited the Sydney Children’s Hospital to make the fifth personal donation of my Eyes Open Ride journey. I was pleased to hand over a cheque for $5,000 and get another snap with a novelty cheque at least my eyes are open in this photo. Thanks to Jess (pictured here with me) from the Kid’s Cancer Centre for showing me round and giving me a tour of the children’s cancer ward, and to Sophie from the Sydney Children's Hospital Foundation for coordinating.... We toured the ward, and while as usual it was a bustling place, I got to witness two pretty cool things. One was to watch one of the musical therapists in action, banging away on the drums to the delight of the young fella in his hospital bed, and the other was to meet one of the residential pharmacists who, with a big smile on her face, informed us that she has just delivered a basket of meds for a young girl to take HOME. It was a special day for this young girl - she had been in and out of the Intensive Care Unit for quite some time and was finally going home after 120 days in hospital! Witnessing moments like this and seeing the pride and joy in the staff who are genuinely stoked to get these kids on the mend is a fantastic motivator for me on my ride. The Sydney Children’s Hospital is another hospital staffed by some amazing people. The cancer ward is a pioneering ward, with a high percentage of the children participating in leading clinical trials. The money I donated will go right to the front line of cancer care and will impact not only children treated today, but will help develop cures for the future. I am thrilled that my money can be put to immediate use. As always though, I still need your help! As I write this, an incredible $30,719 has been donated by you kind folk to the Children's Cancer Foundation. With my personal matching donations going direct to hospitals around our country, this means that, as a team, we have pledged $61,438 in the battle against childhood cancer! So, please, if you can spare a dollar or two to help me reach the fundraising target, please head on over to the following to donate: https://childrenscancerfoundation.secure.force.com/CICD__Fu And please, do feel free to tell your friends and people you think may be interested, every dollar certainly helps and all your support is so appreciated. To read more about my ride you can check out the Eyes Open Ride page and the www.eyesopenride.com.au website. Best James

06.01.2022 Today I visited the Royal Hobart Hospital to make my eighth personal donation of my motorcycle ride around Australia - I presented a cheque for $5,000 to the paediatric ward. Thanks to Kelly, pictured here with me, for showing me round, and to Robyn for coordinating my visit. The paediatric ward is a 24-odd bed ward, treating children from 0-18 years old who are battling a wide range of illnesses, including cancer. ... The Royal Hobart does not have all the resources of some of the larger mainland hospitals, so staff need to be proactive and deal with a wide range of scenarios - I have so much respect for staff at hospitals like this. The ward implements many of the great initiatives I have seen all over Australia. From a play therapist for the kids, to an educator keeping the kids up with school work (where possible), to a number of distractions for the kids around the ward (picture star stickers on the roof, and fairy tale themed paintings for the kids to decipher (like the one in the background of this photo)), it was another education for me on the different types of strategies used to help children feel as comfortable and distracted (from whatever ails them) as possible while visiting hospital. By way of a quick update, you generous people have so far donated $32,949 to the Children's Cancer Foundation! Remember, your donations DOUBLE, with me matching your donations to the Children's Cancer Foundation dollar for dollar with personal donations to hospitals such as the Royal Hobart, all around Australia so, as a team, we have pledged $65,898! Thank you to you all. As always, please head on over to https://childrenscancerfoundation.secure.force.com/CICD__Fu to donate if you can. I'll be home in a few short weeks so if you have been thinking about donating, please do! You can also check out www.eyesopenride.com.au to read about my journey if you're interested. PS: I was also pleased to be wearing a different outfit to my past few hospital visits, thanks to the peanut gallery (you know who you are) for chipping in about that and making me feel self conscious - hope you appreciate the effort I went to today! Best James

05.01.2022 $107,000 - that’s a wrap guys! I was pleased to visit the Children's Cancer Foundation today and hand over my final novelty cheque for $57,000. That’s $57,000 from all you wonderful people in support of children battling cancer. Combined with my $50,000 in personal donations spread across children’s hospitals and organisations in every state and territory of Australia, the Eyes Open Ride journey comes to an official end, having pledged a massive $107,000 to help children righ...t around Australia. How cool is that? Pictured here with me are Nat and Jeff, a few of the Children's Cancer Foundation board members. Thanks to you all for coming along for the ride (get it?). For me, it’s now on to the next thing, I guess I had better find myself a real job... Sincerely though, thank you, it has been an absolute blast and a journey of a lifetime. All the best James

04.01.2022 In true reflection of my organisational prowess to date, I failed to take a single photo yesterday - however, what a day! I have felt very privileged to have had the support of the Riverland community throughout my ride, yet was still incredibly humbled and overwhelmed yesterday by the amount of people who came out to the Woolshed Brewery to show their support of my ride and the Children's Cancer Foundation - particular thanks to friends and family who travelled considerable ...distances to make the day! All in all, $5,622 was raised for the Children's Cancer Foundation yesterday! ALL auction items sold, with many other donations made into the donation tins. Massive thanks to the Woolshed Brewery for hosting and the businesses and individuals who donated for the silent auction. Once this is all processed through the website the $50,000 target will be in reach with 18 days left to donate - how good! As always, head to https://childrenscancerfoundation.secure.force.com/CICD__Fu to donate and help me reach the target. I am sorry I only had the chance to speak with many of your briefly, I was running around like a crazy person all day. Best James

03.01.2022 Today I made my seventh personal donation of my motorcycle ride around Australia. I visited The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne and presented a cheque for $5,000. The Children's Cancer Foundation will work with the hospital to direct my donation to critical needs areas.... Pictured here with me are Merridy and Maria. Thanks to you both for the hospital tour and filling me in on both the amazing staff, and the amazing work being done at the hospital. Maria has been my contact point and charity guru at the Children's Cancer Foundation. Merridy's role, funded by the Foundation, is to support the children and families enduring a hospital stay, a truly vital role in a children's hospital. Her passion is evident, and she is well loved by staff, the kids, and families alike. The hospital itself is massive, complete with an aquarium and meerkat enclosure for the kids - incredible! Off to Tassie for me tomorrow, hoping for a smooth sail over on the Spirit of Tasmania and calm weather on my ride to Hobart! As always, please head on over to www.eyesopenride.com.au and donate if you can (or head straight to the donation page here: https://childrenscancerfoundation.secure.force.com/CICD__Fu). Not long on my ride to go and, remember, your donation to the Children's Cancer Foundation DOUBLES, with me personally matching your donation with personal donations made to hospitals around our country, so please do get involved if you are able. Best James

01.01.2022 Hi all Long time no news. Happy to report that (just over a year now!) since all donations and functions wrapped up, I can share with you the great work and types of programs that your generosity and support have helped the Children's Cancer Foundation make possible. As you may remember, as well as funding research for kinder and gentler treatments for children battling cancer, a key component of philanthropic donations is the flexibility to deploy funds to support programs o...utside of base medical treatment. Think important mental health and 'distraction' therapies and the like. These include things like clowns and entertainers visiting children's cancer wards, as well as important structured programs including music and art therapy. I would like to share one such worthwhile program that your generosity has helped support. The Children's Cancer Foundation has invested $100,000 into Music Therapy at The Royal Children’s Hospital and Monash Children’s Hospital over the past financial year. Check out Georgia rocking out here: https://vimeo.com/246016027 and read more about Music Therapy here: https://childrenscancerfoundation.com.au//funding-boost-mu You can also read more about my story and consider your own fundraising efforts here: https://childrenscancerfoundation.com.au//im/riding-reason I'll shortly be shutting this page down now it's all wrapped up and funds are being deployed, so if you feel inspired to ever embark on your own fundraising mission or anything of the like, please feel free to get in touch with me and exchange contact details within the next few weeks, or shoot me a message through the website eyesopenride.com.au. A big final thank you to you all. I will never forget the amazing support and well wishes from so many of you over the course of my ride. Cheers all, have safe and happy long weekends. James