Most of you don’t know about my upcoming trip to Mongolia as part of a Mongol Rally Team, driving from London to Mongolia for adventure and charity. Well, now you can catch up with this wonderful promotional video my team member Ryan put together. You can find the unofficial press release for Team Great Job! (yes, that’s our team name) after the jump. One thing is for sure, I’ll bring back some great photographs!
Four UC San Diego students and alumni are taking the trip of a lifetime this July, and raising money for a good cause while they are at it. The event is called the Mongol Rally, and students Ryan Natan, Elizabeth Latham, Michael Kelly, and recent graduate Will Parson are packing themselves into a cramped vehicle with just a 1-liter engine and driving roughly 9,000 miles from London, England to Ulaan Batar, Mongolia. Upon arrival, the quartet, known by their Mongol Rally moniker as ‘Team Great Job!’ will donate their vehicle to Mercy Corps, an organization that aids rural Mongolian communities through job training, economic diversification and infrastructure projects.
The Mongol Rally, held annually since 2004, consists of roughly 400 teams starting out from London with the goal of reaching the finish line in Ulaan Batar, Mongolia. But the Mongol Rally is not a race, there are no winners, and the thrill is definitely in the journey, not the destination. This year, Team Great Job! is the only rally entry consisting entirely of Southern-California natives.
In the months leading up to the event, the San Diego rally-goers have raised almost $2,000 for Mercy Corps. The team has already hosted several fundraising events and is planning more, but the adventure is just as much about the experience as it is the charity. Team Great Job can expect to enjoy engaging with different cultures, catastrophic vehicle breakdowns and learning to love the long hours looking out at the roadsides of Europe, Russia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia.
Team member Ryan Natan says that Team Great Job! is close to reaching its minimum donation to Mercy Corps, but that they hope to raise over twice that amount for the charity before launching in London on July 18. Anyone interested in making a donation to Mercy Corps can visit the official Team Great Job website at www.teamgreatjob.com. Team Great Job! is currently looking for sponsors and selling ad space on their car, so interested parties are encouraged to contact them!
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