Pavla Jenková: campaign for project Living Community

Pavla´s birthday on a kick scooter!

I’ll be 33 this year. I’m not asking for gifts. Instead I’d like to ask if we could do something for a good cause together. I’m planning on riding 99 km on a kick scooter over the Jesenik mountains and you can support my ride by making a gift to support people who are revitalizing and engaging communities across the Czech Republic. The proceeds from my fundraising drive will go to Via Foundation, where we support these community leaders.

I want to raise CZK 33,000 with your help but if I raise more, I’ll do something crazy – take a look at this video to find out what.

So – join my team!

It’s easy: me, a kick scooter, 99 km, 6 days, Jeseník mountains, Via Foundation and who knows, I might end up rapping, abstaining or hairless!

I’m turning to you, my friends, family and acquaintances, for help.

Why raise money for Via?
I’ve been working at Via for almost three years and I can see that what we do makes sense. We support people who are trying to revitalize their communities. I want to see as many community revitalizers as possible here. Via is funded solely through gifts from individuals, companies and foundations. We are not funded by the Czech or EU government.

Why a kick scooter?
I’ve never been athletic. I consider the walking and bike-riding I do as my passions, not sports. And I can combine these two activities on a kick scooter! The company KOSTKA, based in Hanušovice in the Jesenik mountains makes the best kick scooters in the Czech Republic. I visited KOSTKA last year and rode one of their kick scooters for the first time. The photo below proves it. Then I wrote to KOSTKA to ask whether they would lend me a kick scooter to ride over the Jeseník mountains. And because they have good hearts, they agreed!

Why the Jeseník mountains?
Last year I went to the Jesenik mountains for the first time, to see the art deco Tančírnadance hall in the Račí Valley, which locals saved from falling apart. Now it’s a community gathering place, hiking destination and a cultural center in this remote region. The Tančírna and the surrounding hills and the people who live there took my breath away. But my love for the Jesenik region started much earlier – about 15 years ago, when I first heard the melancholic songs of the music band (this is my favorite). The band is also from the Jesenik mountains and I’ll be playing their music as I ride!

Why 99 km in 6 days?
There’s no hidden magic in these numbers aside from the fact that it’s 3 x 33 (years) and my fundraising goal. On mapy.cz I randomly chose a route through towns I’d like to visit. Each evening I’ll stop in one of them and talk to local residents about what I do at Via. To let them know that they have a chance to do something for their own communities and to not hesitate to ask for our help.

You can see my planned route here and follow my journey on my Facebook page.

And what else will I do if you support my fundraising drive?

I value your gifts and want to motivate you to give as much as you can, so if we raise:

CZK 33,000 – I’ll have a birthday party and invite you (in Prague) and will rap out my thank you (a special on-line streaming for you if you are not able to come ;)

CZK 66,000 – I’ll give up alcohol for a month (which will really be a huge challenge for me)

CZK 99,000 – I’ll shave my head (yep, my lovely pink hairdo will disappear!)

And with the money that we raise together, Via Foundation will support great people and projects across the Czech Republic! And maybe we’ll see another Tančírna dance hall or a new community garden!

Join me on my ride, like Kostka, which I thank very much for lending me the kick scooter!

Pavla

Through the Living Communities program, Via Foundation supports a diverse range of projects in Czech communities that can serve as catalysts for change. These projects give people opportunities to work collaboratively for the betterment of their community (e.g. establishing a community center, holding a neighborhood celebration or improving a local park). We encourage and support program participants to use the assets in their own community, engage neighbors as volunteers, initiate a dialogue with other local partners such as the local government, associations, etc.

Díky programu Živá komunita Nadace Via podporujeme pozitivní změny, které umožňují vzájemné potkávání, spolupráci lidí a upevňování lidských vztahů prostřednictvím společných zážitků: