Michael's Dream

Important Update: Michael's Dream had to be postponed this year because the provincial team decided not to attend the Tuscany Series. If you still wish to donate to Michael's dream, we will keep the money in a special account until next year. Donations to Alexandra Baseball in general are also always welcome.

Perhaps it will strike you as ironic that just a few days ago I was pleading for African women who are carrying a heavy load, both physically and figuratively, and now the person I am asking you to help is not a woman.

He’s not quite a man, either, but rather a boy. He is an incredibly talented baseball player, growing up in the hardscrabble township of Alexandra and playing for the club I’ve told you about before. He played in the recent Inter-Regional Tournament or IRT held here in Johannesburg, and based on his excellent pitching performance has now been selected to represent our province of Gauteng at the Tuscany Series Games in Italy this August.

To represent his country, South Africa, by leaving it for the first time in his life and playing the game he loves, is Michael Lebepe’s dream.

Unfortunately, the Gauteng Baseball Federation receives little funding from baseball’s governing bodies in Africa or the United States, so that the funds for this trip (approximately ZAR 18,000 or US$2,400) must be raised entirely by the players themselves.

Two thousand four hundred dollars.

All of it money Michael and his family don’t have. I’ve got about $200 left from my previous fundraising drive for Alexandra Baseball and am able to pitch in a few hundred more, but that still leaves us almost $2,000 short.

Which is why I’m asking you for help. Something I do not take on lightly, because I hate asking for money. But I figure if the Obama campaign can send me several emails each week asking for contributions, I can at least ask for money once each year without getting on your nerves.

If everybody visiting this blog pitches in $10 or $20 over the next couple of weeks, this will be covered in no time. And if you’ve been enjoying my writings on Joburg Expat, consider it as your contribution to keep me going.

What you get in return is to know that you’ve made one boy’s dream come true, and probably changed his life.

Please help Michael by donating $10 now. Please don't click away from this page. It's so easy to put in your details, it won't take more than two minutes. Even if it's just a few dollars, it will make a difference. 

Do it now!

[If you live in South Africa and prefer a bank transfer, please contact me here and I will send you the bank details].

Michael leading his teammates during warm-ups with a beautiful view of Alexandra as backdrop

Michael is the boy in the red shirt on the right. He is a very talented baseball player but
wouldn't have made it this far without the support of his coaches, teammates, and community.

To learn more about Alexandra Baseball and my previous donation drives to source equipment, check out the following articles:

Baseball in the Heart of a Vibrant Township
Story of Bing: Help the Alexandra Boys
An Update on the Alexandra Baseball Project
From the Slums of Alexandra to the Corporate Glitz of Sandton
Driving through Alexandra

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