Choice Hotels Australasia’s executive team is dusting down their lycra, unfolding their walking sticks and furiously pounding the pavements of Melbourne in preparation for the Oxfam Trailwalker 48 hour challenge, due to take place from 2-4 May, 2014.
Oxfam Trailwalker 2014 will see 800 teams tackle a 100 kilometre cross country course stretching from Wheelers Hill through the Dandenong Ranges National Park to Wesburn within 48 hours. 3,200 participants are set to take part in the event in an attempt to raise more than $3 million to assist Oxfam overcome poverty and injustice around the world.
The Choice Hotels team of four consists of Chief Executive Officer – Trent Fraser, Marketing Manager – Matt Taylor, Senior Development Manager – Brett Salter and General Manager Franchise Services – Anthony Stanley. The team is aiming to complete the challenging 100 kilometre course in an impressive 26 hours, despite having a full 48 hours to cover the distance.
Trent Fraser, Choice Hotels Chief Executive Officer, said he is looking forward to leading team Choice Hotels as it tackles the course and raises vital funds for Oxfam.
“I‘m very much looking forward to participating in the Oxfam Trailwalker event,” he said. “With one in three people around the world currently living in poverty, it’s important to support a charity organisation that actively helps and improves people’s everyday lives across the globe.
“We’re all excited to be taking on the personal challenge of completing a 100 kilometre walk, while also raising much needed funds for Oxfam. I’m sure there will be a few sore muscles in the days after, but the team and I are relishing the challenge,” he said.
Team Choice Hotels has been limbering up and training hard for the past 3 months. Lengthy training walks of Melbourne’s CBD beginning and ending at Choice Hotels HQ in East Melbourne, and several 30km to 40km treks along the actual track have been a regular occurrence. Individually, team members have also been clocking up a total of 40 kilometres of walking a week.
Choice Hotels staff have already hosted some fundraising activities in support, including a ‘casual dress’ week for all staff in exchange for generous gold coin donations. Choice has also been able to secure a number of corporate sponsors who have very generously donated large sums of money to this great cause. These include Buuteeq (a digital cloud solution), Bastion EBA, Undertow Media, Gravia Media and Zoet Print. Fundraising will continue until the end of May, in an effort to raise as much money as possible for Oxfam.
With 70 cents in every dollar raised for Oxfam going directly to those who need it most throughout the world’s most poverty stricken areas, it’s a fantastic cause and one that all team members and Choice Hotels staff members are keen to support.