Strike Seven for CRY

Michael Davidson is a native New Yorker, and a marathoner. Currently, he lives in London and works with Morgan Stanley as a Manager in the firm's Corporate Services Division.

With his 1st Marathon (New York, 1997), Michael raised funds for Incarnation Children's Centre for Children with HIV. With the 2000 Athens Marathon, he helped The Epilepsy Foundation, a cause dear to him since his mother has the condition.

Michael's 7th Marathon, Antarctica February 26, 2005, will be for Mahita, a CRY-supported project that focuses on issues affecting the girl child.

Why CRY?

Let Michael tell you himself.

"It was while living in Asia in 2002 that I got interested in raising funds for children in India. Friends and colleagues kept talking about the adverse conditions in India, and I wanted to help. Having already raised funds for various charities by running in marathons in three continents, I decided to run the remaining four too, culminating with Antarctica.

I searched the Internet to find out about Indian charities, and discovered CRY. After reading about their initiatives, I e-mailed them. The responses were immediate. I met up with Nina Munshi, CRY's UK representative. She acquainted me with the "grassroots" initiatives CRY supports. I was impressed with their approach of not just "giving" to those in need but "enabling" and "empowering" people to help themselves through education and awareness programmes. I also learnt that while CRY is well established in India and the US, their efforts in the UK had just begun and opportunities like this were exactly what they needed to establish a support base in the community. I had a good feeling about CRY and decided to help them."

Why Mahita?

Here's Michael again.

"As I flipped through various pamphlets & project descriptions, a sentence leapt out: 1 out of 3 girls in India don't survive the age of 15. I asked Nina what that was about. She described how girls throughout India are discriminated against from being aborted to being denied education and healthcare to being sold into the sex trade. I decided this was the cause for which I would run.

Mahita , a CRY-supported project is located in Hyderabad, South India and focuses on providing, protection, health care, food, and education a "life-line" to girls in the inner city. It also arranges vocational training for adolescents, so that they can earn their living.

I hope to raise $ 10,000 plus for Mahita. I look forward to your support and thank you in advance for your generosity."