What if You Turn Your Hobby, Into a Damn Good Fundraising Campaign?

How great is it if you can use your hobby to raise funds for charities close to your heart? The Climbing Règâhs is a cycling group of friends that has already raised more than 600,000,- Euros since 2011. Read below the inspiring story of people who have turned their hobby into a sponsor-raising campaign. 

The chairman of the De Klimmende Règâhs Foundation, Rob Engelhard, has lost three family members to cancer. This has motivated him to continue the fight against this disease and in particular against pancreatic cancer. This is currently a death sentence, but the aim is to put this silent killer out of business. The mission of Prof Dr Casper van Eijck, Pancreato-biliary Surgeon at Erasmus MC, is to provide affordable and effective treatment by 2030. This is something the Règâhs are happy to contribute to.

The Alpe d’HuZes: Giving up is not an option 

The main annual event in which the group of friends participates in the Alpe d’HuZes. This is an event in France designed to raise money for cancer research and improve the quality of life of people with cancer. The name “Alpe d’HuZes” is a play on words referring to the event’s objective: participants try to climb a famous mountain in France called the Alpe d’HuZes six times in one day.

The climb can be done in different ways – participants can cycle, run, or walk. The idea is to show solidarity with cancer patients through this strenuous physical effort.

The motto of the Alpe d’HuZes is “Giving up is not an option!”, indicating that the fight against cancer will continue until a solution is found. This event aims to give hope and inspire people to work together and contribute to the fight against cancer.

The Creativity of the Climbing Règâhs

The Climbing Règâhs do more than participate in the Alpe d’HuZes and are very creative in their approach. They cycle anyway. That is their passion. That’s why in 2021 when the Alpe d’HuZes was canceled due to coronagraphs, they organized an alternative cycling tour. They cycled through all provinces of the Netherlands in four days and called this tour the “Dutch Alpe d’HuZes”. 

This year, they held a spinning marathon at Sports Centre De Viergang in Pijnacker in January and managed to raise a sum of almost 30,000.- Euros with as many as 250 participants. It didn’t stop there, as in May they embarked on a ride called “Gran Fondo Dodici Province”. This involved cycling around 180 kilometers every day. 

But the Alpe d’HuZes is still the highlight every year, and this year participant Jeroen de Rapper even took his 11-year-old daughter with him. It was hard work for the group, but their efforts were not in vain. 112,000 euros was raised. A record for the group of friends who put their heart and soul into the fight against cancer.

After the Alpe d’HuZes, Jeroen de Rapper said, “A week full of emotions… a tear but also a lot of laughter and really only highlights.”

How do the Climbing Règâhs raise money and where does it go?

Many participants of the Climbing Règâhs are active in business and ask their business friends for sponsorship. This can be done by placing a logo on the cyclists’ clothing, buying tickets for events, buying cyclists’ clinics, or purchasing merchandise. The latter includes shirts, caps, and drinking cans. 

The proceeds benefit various charities such as the Eck Roosen Foundation, the Juliana Children’s Hospital in The Hague, and the Netherlands Neurofibromatosis Association. 

You too can contribute to the fight against cancer

Through the site of the Climbing Règâhs, you can buy one of the many sponsorship packages or make a voluntary contribution. These damn good men and women deserve it because they put everything into it themselves. Support them and show that turning your passion into a fundraising campaign pays off.