Life as a "tourist": Fundraising for charity

I would walk 500 miles, and I would walk 500 more, just to be the one that walked 1000 miles to help so many desperate souls...

I AM FUNDRAISING FOR CHARITY

I don't like New Year's resolutions. You shouldn't just try to be a better version of yourself because a new year has started. You should try to improve every single day. The 31st of December and the 1st of January are days like any other. Life goes on. Other lives end. People take their lives. Particularly in the days around Christmas and NYE many people see suicide as their only option. 1 in 4 people suffers from mental health problems such as depression. Organisations such as Mind - The Mental Health Charity try their best to help those who need it. But it's just not enough. There are too many people out there suffering, too many people that don't have anybody to turn to and definitely too many people that are still ashamed about mental health issues and just don't ask for help. That is exactly why charities like Mind need to grow. Not only do people need them as somebody to turn to, but our society is also in desperate need to educate. Mental health is a serious issue; it is as serious as physical health. With a quarter of all people suffering with a mental illness we all are affected somehow, either because it is us or someone around us who feels that way.

This is why I chose to fundraise for charity!

Throught the year 2017 I am walking 1000 miles. For this, I am not counting the steps and walks I would do anyways. I am just including walks I specifically do for this project. Why did I choose to walk 1000 miles instead of doing a cake sale or something similar? I really wanted to challenge myself! With my project I am doing three things at the same time:

I am raising money for a good cause
I am exercising, and therefore doing something good for my physical health
I give myself time to think and reflect, therefore doing something good for my mental health

Whilst I am walking my 1000 miles I am posting regular updates to my fundraising page.

You can sponsor me and donate money, which will go straight to Mind.

I have created a YouTube video which explains this a little bit more and also gives information what Mind does and highlights why this is such an important cause.

Mind also has a seperate online community Elefriends where members can anonymously talk about their experiences and feelings, help and listen to each other, and get support from the big Ele, trained workers from Mind. This works a bit like group therapy. It is a safe virtual world for people that struggle with the outside world. Everybody should have available support like this. If you want to help me and support this cause, Mind shows you what even a small donation can achieve: