This Friday night, a fundraiser will be held at Ireland’s 32 (3920 Geary between 3rd and 4th Avenues) for a team that is planning to tuk-tuk across India to help raise money for juvenile diabetes research. Yes, you read that right – they’re traveling via tuk-tuk.
The fundraiser is for the team Raiders of the Lost Tuk, made up of a Bostonian and two San Franciscans. They, along with 60 other teams from around the world, will make a 2,000 mile trek across India in what amounts to a motorized rickshaw in the Autumn 2010 Rickshaw Run. They’re participating to raise money for and bring awareness to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).
An auto-rickshaw is affectionately referred to as a “tuk-tuk” in Indian neighborhoods, a common form of transportation usually meant for only short distances in and around cities in India. The Rickshaw Run has no set rules. With no check-in points or truck with spare parts following the participants, our team is entirely on its own to plan the route, figure out where to sleep, and improvise when things don’t go as planned. Not to mention, we are using the least suitable vehicle for transport. The tuk-tuk looks like a golf cart but with only three wheels. It is also not meant for long distances.
The threesome has a vested interest in the race and their cause – one of the team members has been living with Type 1 diabetes since being diagnosed at the age of 10. Racers will start their adventure on September 12th during monsoon season in the snowy Himalayan town of Gangtok, Sikkim, in northern India near Nepal. They’ll (hopefully) arrive roughly two weeks later at the finish line in the desert of Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, aptly nicknamed “The Golden City.”
This Friday night beginning at 8:30pm, team Raiders of the Lost Tuk will hold a charity concert and launch party at Ireland’s 32 on Geary. The event is 21+ and there will be live music. $5 cover with 100% of all proceeds benefitting the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (event flyer).
Good luck to the Raiders of the Lost Tuk – may the force be with you!
Sarah B.
Good luck. What a wonderful cause, and what an exciting journey. I was on the road in India many years ago. Unforgettable.