The National Arthritis Foundation (NAF) – a charity devoted to helping arthritis sufferers in Singapore – is announcing the start of Ride For Hope, a cycling fundraiser it has organised to raise awareness of arthritis and amplify the plight of those who suffer in silence with the disease.
Arthritis is an incurable disease that causes inflammation in one or more of the joints. If left untreated, the condition can affect one’s ability to perform common, everyday activities, including cycling.
Many arthritis sufferers live with constant pains for months or even years without getting the right diagnosis, while others worry about the inability to cover the costs of prolonged essential treatment.
Image source: iStock
Ride For Hope strives to encourage Singaporeans to support arthritis patients through cycling, an activity that has gained popularity since the start of the pandemic.
Funds raised will go toward furthering the Foundation’s mission of supporting the arthritis community in Singapore, which includes assisting underprivileged patients so that they can get access to necessary treatment, as well as helping to educate and empower our communities to better cope with arthritis.
Participants can choose from three categories – 10km, 40km and 100km – where they get to cycle the chosen distance at their own time, pace and route, using an app or distance tracker of their choice to map their progress.
They can cover their committed distance over multiple attempts throughout the cycling window from 20 September to 17 October 2021.
A minimum donation of $30 is required to participate as a cyclist. All cyclists will also be provided with a finisher’s entitlements kit and a personalised online fundraising campaign which they can easily share with their friends over social media, rallying them to donate to the charity as they cycle for this cause.
NAF hopes to attract at least 300 cyclists to sign up for this meaningful event and raise $200,000.
Image source: iStock
In support of the event, AEM Holdings (AEM), a global leader in test innovation, will be the Presenting Sponsor for Ride For Hope. “AEM is dedicated to improving the quality of life of the communities where we work and live in. By supporting Ride For Hope, we hope to raise awareness of arthritis and the impact the condition has on patients’ daily lives”, said Tay Cheng Hoo, Director of Human Resources, AEM.
“Due to Covid-19, NAF has been unable to raise funds through our usual physical fundraising events. As such, we are attempting new fundraising ideas – last year we successfully completed our first virtual dinner show and this year we are staging our inaugural cycling event as we remain optimistic about the ability of cycling to bring communities together for a worthwhile cause. By providing various distance categories, we hope that Ride for Hope can garner healthy participation since it caters to both families that are keen for a fun leisurely ride together, as well as to avid cyclists who wish to go the distance. More importantly, every cyclist is a personal campaigner for NAF, assisting to raise awareness about the disease and bring in donations that will allow us to help more arthritis sufferers,” said Gerald Koh, Executive Director at NAF.
Image source: iStock
Ride For Hope was conceptualised in partnership with Temasek Polytechnic (TP), where students from TP School of Design developed the branding and design elements for this fundraiser, as part of their Industry Studio Project.
Lim Chong Jin, Director of TP School of Design, explained, “we believe that great designs envisioned in the classroom come to life when they are purposefully deployed into the marketplace. We therefore welcomed the opportunity to work with NAF and have our cohort of Year 3 students create impactful, educational, and heart-warming communication materials for a good cause.”
There are over 100 types of arthritis – osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are the most common forms. While it is most typically found within the elderly community, arthritis is a disease that affects people of all ages.
Youths are not spared; there are about 45,000 Rheumatoid Arthritis sufferers in Singapore aged below 40. Children and teens under 16 can be diagnosed with arthritis, known as Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA). For some, it is a life-long condition that can also lead to detrimental effects on their mental health.
Plans are currently in NAF’s pipeline to set up an arthritis patient service centre to help patients manage their condition and enable them to enjoy an improved quality of life.
The public can register for the event at rideforhope.sg.