Athletes for Athletes
Last February 16, 2014, GiftLauncher started a fundraising campaign to show support to Philippine Olympic Figure Skater Michael Martinez. As the whole country started to become aware of Michael’s talents and his journey to the Winter Olympics, a few local athletes took notice as well. The Winter Olympics may have passed but Michael Martinez’s journey in figure skating goes on… and so does the support from his fellow athletes.
Founder Kenneth Reyes-Lao opened GiftLauncher’s crowdfunding platform that allows everyone to pitch in – knowing that crowdfunding is rooted in the Filipino practice of ambag where we pool our resources together to be able to give more. A few athletes have started a wishlist through GiftLauncher to jumpstart the fundraising campaign.
Let’s take a look on who these athletes are:
1. Noelle de Guzman
The first athlete to join this campaign for Michael was Noelle de Guzman. The KikayRunner blogger and triathlete first got into running in July 2009. In less than a year, she was working towards doing a marathon and she ran her first marathon on 4 July 2010. She competed in her first triathlon just a few months after. She is now a member of Team Endure Multisport and Team MaccaX and a brand ambassador for Mizuno Running, Ceepo Bikes, and Lightwater. She also placed 3rd at the recently concluded Challenge Philippines triathlon.
2. Gretchen Ho
Gretchen Ho emerged as one of the most popular volleyball players in the UAAP when she was still a student athlete in the Ateneo. But her athleticism started before college and still continues today. Her love for sports can be seen through her active lifestyle that goes outside of volleyball. Beyond her fame as an athlete, Gretchen is also a budding entrepreneur with her own clothing line and a TV host in the sports program “The Score”.
3. Regie Pablo
Regie, a social entrepreneur and champion for social advocates, is an avid mountain climber. He’s conquered more than 10 mountains from all over the world in the past decade. He’s also one of the few Filipinos who’ve climbed Mt. Everest. Despite this magnificent feat, Regie remains an active member in several outdoors organizations. He also runs Revolve, a company that produces sports apparels using recycled materials.
4. Lyllian Grace Banzon (“Ian”)
To say Ian loves sports is an understatement. Ian has been active in sports for 14 years and counting. Her activities include swimming, triathlons, basketball, badminton, track and field, waterpolo, finswimming, and golf. Is there any sport she can’t do? Hmm…we don’t think so! And despite her busy schedule as a 4th year medical student at the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health (ASMPH), Ian remains active in the field of sports. She is currently a member of Sante Barley Triathlon Team, ASMPH Swim Team, ASMPH Basketball Team, and CrossFit Alpha Strike.
We are officially fans of these great athletes. Even with great success in their chosen sport, these athletes also choose to support others to reach their goals. Let’s show Michael Martinez that we, along with these fine athletes, also support him in his journey.
Visit www.giftlauncher.com/supportmichael and help towards this fundraising campaign for Michael.
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