Toronto Toronto Toronto

Spent last 5 days in Toronto. My first stop was Chinatown and the Stephen Lewis Foundation office, to meet the staff and show off my bald head. Thanks again for the free A Dare to Remember t-shirt and resources (pictures to follow).

Then on to the International Toronto Bicycle Show, where I was volunteering at the Toronto BMX Jam. After spending most of Friday and Saturday morning registering the riders, Saturday afternoon and Sunday was spent live tweeting about the #TOBMXJam on the @TorontoBMX account. My friend Scott Mills (@GrafittiBMXCop) got me set up on his blackberry, and I was off and running… I mean tweeting at the top of the 10ft ramp.


Scott was gracious enough to take some pictures of me with the graffitied ramps and post the information about my head shaving. He's quoted in the Toronto SUN article about how the BMX event comes with an anti-violence message. It was neat to hear him talk about the various graffiti artists and the youth he's working with. Keep up the good work Scott!

Also in the facebook album is a couple of pictures of my brother Drew Bezanson (@drewbezanson) with my Mom and myself. Drew is an International Pro BMXer and we're very proud of him for placing 2nd at the Jam!

All Gone.

My hair is no more. Pictures are up on facebook! Thanks to everyone who gave big, $444.75 came in for luvHAITI this morning!

Two Days

Its crazy to think that in just two days time I will be bald. People keep asking me if I am nervous or scared. Excited is more like it. People also keep asking how much do have raised yet? Well to be honest, I only know of $200 confirmed that has come in: $150 online with the Stephen Lewis Foundation and a $50 cheque that was placed in my hands for luvHAITI. So if you are keeping track I still have $5, 800 to raise and two days to go. Am I worried? Nope. Lots of friends have said they will be contributing. The children at Deep Water will be bringing in their small change this Sunday. And I will be continuing to fundraise until the end of March, hoping that once I complete my dare people will be inspired to give. I'm also not worried because of the stories of Jesus feeding the multitudes. John's account records that the fishes and loaves were the gift of a little boy:

 ¹ After this, Jesus crossed over to the far side of the Sea of Galilee, also known as the Sea of Tiberias. ² A huge crowd kept following him wherever he went, because they saw his miraculous signs as he healed the sick. ³ Then Jesus climbed a hill and sat down with his disciples around him. ⁴ (It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover celebration.) ⁵ Jesus soon saw a huge crowd of people coming to look for him. Turning to Philip, he asked, “Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?” ⁶ He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do.

 ⁷ Philip replied, “Even if we worked for months, we wouldn’t have enough money to feed them!”

 ⁸ Then Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up. ⁹ “There’s a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?”

 ¹⁰ “Tell everyone to sit down,” Jesus said. So they all sat down on the grassy slopes. (The men alone numbered about 5,000.) ¹¹ Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and distributed them to the people. Afterward he did the same with the fish. And they all ate as much as they wanted. ¹² After everyone was full, Jesus told his disciples, “Now gather the leftovers, so that nothing is wasted.” ¹³ So they picked up the pieces and filled twelve baskets with scraps left by the people who had eaten from the five barley loaves. (John 6:1-13, NLT)

And so, here I am offering up the gift of my hair so that it may go towards water, food, and education in Haiti and turning the tide of AIDS in Africa.

To make a donation to luvHAITI please make cheques out to Deep Water Church and mail it toDeep Water Church, 1474 Brenton Street, Unit 1, Halifax, NS B3J 2K7 (Please include a note with your name, address and that the funds are for Fontina Community Development - Heidi's Head Shaving)

And to make a donation to the Stephen Lewis Foundation, please go to my A Dare to Remember page.

Three Days Left

one week

So it's a little scary and exciting to think that in a week I'll be bald. I've had a busy week. Things are coming together more slowly than I would like. I mailed info book marks out to several churches I've had connections with over the past several years. Even though most won't get the information until next Sunday, I have faith that I can still reach my goal of $3000 for luvHAITI. Funds can still be sent in until the end of March, so I'm hoping once I am bald it will give me more chances to tell people about my endeavour.

I'm also working on some info cards for  A Dare to Remember as well as spamming twitter and facebook over this next week. So far I'm at 2% of my goal. only $2925 left to go... As for luvHAITI after this morning I'll have a better feel for how much has come in so far.

So just as a recap, the goal is:
  3000 Stephen Lewis Foundation
+3000 luvHAITI
  6000 total


If happen to find yourself in Halifax next Sunday, February 27th, you are more than welcome to come on out and watch! It will be happening just after church, so noonish, but I encourage you to show up for 10:30 so you can get a good seat and not miss out on the action. Deep Water Church. Park Lane Theatre.

So I'm Shaving My Head...

...all because of a Dare! Its on my list of things to do before I turn 30, so I figure why not do it for a good cause or two!

I spent six months in Swaziland (Southern Africa) and developed a heart for people affected by HIV/AIDS. So, I'm taking on A Dare to Remember for the Stephen Lewis Foundation. I have set a personal fundraising goal of $3000 and am asking you to sponsor me. The money raised will go directly to support the inspiring transformation in sub-Saharan Africa, where community-based organizations are working to turn the tide of AIDS.
To make a donation, please go to A Dare to Remember  It will make such a difference to the incredible African women and men who rise to meet the challenges of the pandemic with extraordinary acts of courage, ingenuity, determination, and strength in their communities.

I'll also be raising funds for luvHAITI a partnership my church Deep Water has with the people of Haiti. I've also set a fundraising goal of $3000. The money will go towards community development in the town of Fontina on the island of La Gonave. This was one of the options in our recent  luvHAITI Christmas Catalogue:
Your donations will help improve the living conditions for the whole community: new wells will be dug and old ones repaired to provide life-saving clean drinking water; leaders within the community will be taught how to compost and care for the land to provide extra food; and the local school will receive supplies to aid in the education of all members of the community. 
To make a donation, please make cheques out to Deep Water Church and mail it toDeep Water Church, 1474 Brenton Street, Unit 1, Halifax, NS B3J 2K7 (Please include a note with your name, address and that the funds are for Fontina Community Development - Heidi's Head Shaving)  

The plan is to say goodbye to my hair in just 17 days. So please dig deep and give now.


Siyabonga, (Thank you in siSwati/Zulu)
Heidi


So just as recap, the goal is:
  3000 Stephen Lewis Foundation
+3000 luvHAITI
  6000 total
(You may choose to give to one cause or both)