Paying It Forward: Quick Recap of Few Good Things Done Right in 2016!

I returned to Snehadeep last Saturday and made a donation after raising funds with an article I wrote here. It felt great when I presented them with a cheque for a total amount of INR 34100 / $500. It was my first time raising funds with a social media platform and I'm proud to say that it was made possible on none other than Steemit.com!

Read: Starting 2017 with a Bang by Bringing Joy to HIV Positive Kids!

You may scroll down on this post for the update or continue reading.

Paying it Forward

As I sat down to write this post I thought it would be a good idea to highlight a few things that our motorcycle club-United Bikers of Mangalore has done in the past year. Except for a pic or two on FB, most of it has gone unnoticed. Now there will be some permanent record of some of the activities from the past year which I hope, will inspire many to do similar things for others.

If you've received any kind help in life from society around you (friends/family/strangers etc) please remember that it's always a good idea to pay it forward or give back to society whenever you have the chance to do it.

1. Heels On Wheels: A Ride for Women Empowerment, Freedom & Safety!

This was one of the first things that we put together in 2016 with help from various chapters of other clubs in my city. It was a unique event followed by a city-wide motorcycle rally that gave emphasis on women’s safety issues and freedom. The Police Commissioner of our city was there to support us with his team and flagged off this event.

Heels on Wheels, was also about breaking traditional gender stereotypes and spreading awareness about equality for women in all aspects of the Indian society. Read more on the 'TheMotorLife.'

^{Two girls from our group have First Degree Black Belt in Karate and gave a demo.}

Symbolically I think that riding motorcycles is a great way to empower women. I'm glad to say that things are changing and many Indian women now have several accomplishments on motorcycles/cars in India in the past few years.

2. Putting Smiles on Faces!

Honestly, this was a low key affair with no coverage and there was also no name to the event as such. The idea was simply to thank all the cops manning the traffic junctions in our city for their service to the public. It's a thankless job and difficult to do given our population and crazy road manners. We pooled in some funds and bought around 60 boxes of a mixed-Indian sweets and distributed it in teams on a rainy day in early July.

Many cops had no idea and few were trembling under the pressure of their job as they extended their hand to receive the boxes of sweets. It was a truly a humbling day for me. I feel lucky to be able to sit in the comforts of my home and earn money day in and day out. It's a privilege that I don't take for granted!

^{Selfie with the police, only in Mangalore!}

We had the support of the Asst.Commissioner of Police who was extremely happy with our gesture. It was a day I'll never forget!

3. Raising Donations for 'Abhaya Bala Mandira'

It is a child care centre for destitute/orphans boys in the outskirts of the city. I'd like to think that it sort of spawned the idea for the visit to Snehadeep which happened a few months later.

It's a tough world we live in but it's not hard to put smiles on a child's face.

4. The Distinguished Gentleman's Ride 2016 - Cancer Awareness Event

The Distinguished Gentleman's Ride is a global motorcycle fund-raising event to raise awareness of prostate cancer and male suicide prevention. We've been supporting this event in Mangalore as much as rest of the country. It's a great opportunity for all the clubs to come together and ride.

^{United Bikers of Mangalore}

This was relatively major city-wide motorcycle rally preceded by an event to raise awareness about cancer. We had the city's top Oncologists as well as Psychiatrist with us who presented a small talk on Cancer, Depression and Suicide-prevention followed by a QnA with everyone. It was conducted at the local-Forum Mall and ergo was open to anyone willing to come forward and attend the event.

We raised donations towards, 'Ave Maria Palliative Care'. They are doing a fantastic job in assisting patients with terminal illnesses in their final days. We rode to the hospice at the end of the event and spent some time learning about the place and meeting the staff and few of the patients.

Some days I wake up and feel so lucky to be in good health and be able to create a future for myself, the way I want to!

^{A friend who loves vlogging made this video. Hopefully, he'll make a post soon on Steemit about his two-wheeled adventures.}

5. Healing Hearts - Animal Adoption Event!

Now, we love our pets as much as we love our motorcycles/cars! While this event wasn't directly conducted by UBM, our club supported it in good numbers. My friend Shawn and others in our group are members/volunteers at ACT - Animal Care Trust, Mangalore.

ACT is the number one animal rescue and shelter in our city. They've been doing a kick-ass job on the rescue scene for years.

They had an adoption event for puppies and kittens! X-Mas was nearing and what a good way to get into the mood.

It was a success as many Mangaloreans came forward to adopt as well as donate to the cause. There was joy all around as many animals found new permanent homes on this day!

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With Steemit, the possibilities are endless! (Donation Update)

I was able to raise approximately $468 in donations from Steemit. Some wonderful Steemians donated in Steem, SBD and Bitcoin cryptos while others gave my post two thumbsup which allowed me take my personal total donation to this orphanage to $100 and also save the rest for future activities.

There many ways to help others in need, some require monetary assistance, others your time, energy and care. Snehadeep HIV Child care center receives zero funding from the govt and no regular donations. I'm glad that together we played our part in assisting them.

Find a problem, and provide a direct solution. We can all do it!

I've had an extremely busy start to the year and ergo it took me a while to make the time to write a post about it. I would like to thank everyone who supported for patiently waiting for an update.

Your support has made a real difference!

@kevinwong
@hanshotfirst
@donkeypong
@thecryptofiend
@voronoi
@smooth
@djdmc
@jamtaylor
@ericvancewalton
and an anonymous patron.

Thank you for coming forward with the donations and to all Steemians for your kind words of encouragement!

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I've authored other posts which you might find interesting:

1. Steemit Veni, Vidi, Vici! SteemFest 2016—Together, WE made it happen! Thank you Steemians!

2. Brown-headed Gulls in action at the frozen Pangong Tso, 14000+ ft

If you like my work, please follow me to support me.

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@firepower