< #pledge100 Archives – Mamie Martin Fund

Tag: #pledge100

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Pledge 100 on the home straight

As 2021, the year where we commemorated the centenary of Jack and Mamie’s arrival in Malawi, draws to a close, we are happy to be able to give you an update on one of this year’s successful fund-raising initiatives: #Pledge100.

This project got off to a fantastic start in January when our first pledger, Shona, started on her 100 5km runs. After that, 35 enthusiastic pledgers joined from as far afield as North America, Germany, Sweden, Hungary, Portugal and Oman. And of course, closer to home the UK was well represented by swimmers, cyclists, photographers, hoolahoopers, walkers, yoga practitioners, language learners, card creators, bulb planters and music sharers. One of our artistic pledgers in Sweden has actually undertaken 3 lovely pledges and has now completed 300 drawings!

As well as having a good time, the aim of #Pledge100 was to raise awareness of the work that Mamie Martin Fund does to support girls in secondary education in Malawi. The pledgers did a great job of updating us on their progress by sharing photos and posts on social media. As one of the pledgers said, “I’m at number 76 of my Pledge 100 and it’s been a fun way to engage with my social media friends about the work of the Mamie Martin Fund.”

As 2022 approaches some pledgers have decided to carry on and complete their pledges next year, while so far 21 have received their certificates of completion. The best news of all is that currently the total raised by our pledgers stands at a magnificent £8,700. A huge thank you to everyone who took part in this challenge and to the generous sponsors who supported them. Donations can still be accepted at https://mamiemartin.org/donate/

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Creative volunteers

At the end of Volunteers’ Week, we share a collage of some of the tulip photos that our volunteer, Sue Dumbleton, created as part of her #Pledge100. From their earliest peeking out at the beginning of the year, to the final ones in early June, Sue’s photography has brightened our days and weeks. Thanks Sue.

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Pledge100: an active and creative success!

We are already four months into our Mamie Martin Fund #Pledge100, celebrating the centenary of Jack and Mamie’s marriage and the start of their time in Malawi. We now have over 30 global pledgers, who have embarked on a wonderful range of active and creative endeavours to help raise awareness of the work done by Mamie Martin Fund.

Some of our creative pledgers have already completed their challenge and have received their very special certificate of completion. Jan, who is based in Sweden, has completed 100 beautiful black and white drawings, and has even embarked on her second challenge. Elizabeth has embroidered 100 lovely, intricate cards which sold out almost immediately! You can see her beautiful designs here. The proceeds from the sale of these cards have added a real boost to our #Pledge100 fund-raising efforts –so a huge thank you to Elizabeth for her creative contribution and to everyone who was quick enough to buy her cards!

Jean is swimming 100 swims for Mamie Martin Fund’s #Pledge100

Our #Pledge100 awareness raising and fundraising efforts have been so successful that we have already reached and passed our fundraising target. That calls for a huge thank you to all our pledgers and everyone who has contributed. Let’s not stop here! We still have eight action-packed months to go, so let’s set our sights higher. This is really challenging time in Malawi, with disruptions to education caused by Covid-19. Fundraising for the Mamie Martin Fund means that we can continue to help girls return to school and complete their secondary education.

Here is Kate Jere making the case for helping get girls back to school: “As schools re-open again in Malawi following COVD-19 closures, ensuring girls get back to school has never been more important. Lessons from the Ebola crisis in West Africa have shown that extended school closures increase girls’ risk of early and unintended pregnancies, and result in permanent exit from education.”

Mamie Martin Fund provides an important safety net for girls from disadvantaged backgrounds, providing vital support with school costs, transport and other necessities –greatly increasing their chances of staying in school and completing their education.It’s easy to join #Pledge100.Just find something you can pledge to do 100 times during the remainder of 2021 and register here.

We would love to have you on board! All sponsorships and donations are also welcome here.

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The Captain Tom 100 challenge – a smaller #Pledge100 option

We are pleased to tell you about the Captain Tom 100 challenge which fits so neatly into our #Pledge100. MMF’s #Pledge100 runs all through 2021 to celebrate the centenary of Jack and Mamie Martin’s marriage and journey to Malawi.

Friday 30th April would have been Captain Sir Tom Moore’s 101st birthday and the one-year anniversary of the extraordinary celebrations following the conclusion of his famous 100 laps of his garden that raised an incredible £38.9 million for NHS charities. To celebrate his achievements and mark his birthday, his family and VirginMoneyGiving has set people a challenge to choose any activity that involves the number 100 and raise money for charity.

This CaptainTom100 project is an opportunity for you to think about a shorter version of our #Pledge100. The CaptainTom100 runs from Friday 30th April through to Bank Holiday Monday 3rd May. Your pledge could be walking 100 steps or running 100 metres, scoring 100 goals, baking 100 cakes, climbing 100 stairs, hopping 100 laps of the garden, building 100 sandcastles, writing a 100-word poem, flipping 100 pancakes – anything at all, inside or outside.

All you need to do is dream up your Captain Tom 100, fundraise or donate to the Mamie Martin Fund on our personalised page. If you are a social media user, share your 100 on social media, using #CaptainTom100

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Pledge100 up and running (and cycling and swimming)

Our #Pledge100 project celebrating the centenary of Mamie and Jack Martin’s marriage and journey to begin their new life together in Malawi, was launched in early January and now almost a month later is very definitely up and running.

We already have 13 pledgers (with several more in the pipeline) from places as far flung as North America, Hungary, Portugal, Berkshire, Falkirk, Glasgow and the Scottish Highlands. The idea is that people pledge to do 100 of something they enjoy in 2021 and we have a great range so far: cycling with selfies, open water swims (in the North Sea!), running 5ks, walking (on different continents), doing yoga, taking photos, making cakes and beautiful cards and cheering us all up by sharing 100 Top Tunes. Some people are completing their pledges alone and some in a team. 2021 has just begun so there’s still plenty of time for more people to join in and add their pledges to our eclectic group.

Our pledgers are all fired up with enthusiasm and say that the Pledge100 has helped to get them through a dark January and focus on something positive at this difficult time. All of the pledgers believe passionately in the importance of education for girls and empowering future generations of women in Malawi. Now more than ever these girls need our support to help them complete their secondary education.

Our pledgers have been sharing photos on social media and encouraging other people to join in this celebration or to support our challenges. The more the merrier – we’d welcome your support.

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Pledge 100 off to a great start

This being the centenary of Mamie and Jack Martin’s marriage and journey to Malawi, we launched our #Pledge100 project on 1st January. Shona McAllister is our first pledger – she will run a 5k 100 times this year. 

Shona used to run a bit many years ago but took it up seriously during the first lockdown. As part of a virtual running club, a group of six women who motivated each other, she achieved ‘Couch to 5k’ and decided to keep up her running. She says that she could not have done that without the support of those friends. Her ambition was to run well for half an hour. Having achieved that, she is now working on improving her pace. That is a bit tricky in the bad weather so she describes herself as being in ‘maintenance mode’ at the moment.

Shona reminds us that exercise is very good for our mental health. She says that lockdown transformed her lifestyle; she currently works from home and takes a lot more exercise. She and her husband have a new puppy, who is called ‘Emmeline’ after the famous suffragette. No more needs to be said about Shona’s views on girls’ education and her support of our work in Malawi. 

Shona’s connection with the Mamie Martin Fund goes back to her late father, who played in a band with Willie Sinclair, Mamie’s grandson. They held many fundraisers for MMF and Shona thinks of herself as running these 5Ks in her Dad’s memory. 

Shona lives in the southside of Glasgow with Queen’s Park and Linn Park nearby – excellent running opportunities. She hopes that the awareness and money which she is raising by this pledge will support our work with a view to improving equality and girls’ empowerment and reducing rates of child marriage in Malawi; she wants ‘to create a more equal society’. You can support Shona in her pledge or join her by also registering to do 100 of something this year.