Elaine Kelly, 46, has raised over Dh150,000 for charities around the world and holds the record for completing the most Gulf for Good challenges ever. A mother-of-two and a former fitness trainer, Elaine now works fulltime for a multinational IT company in Dubai. When she isn’t fundraising, she sings for Dubai Harmony and teaches yoga.
Before... “I’ve lived in Dubai for 16 years now. I was raised in Scotland and moved to Canada when I was 12 years old. My childhood was largely spent outside in the great outdoors. So, when I moved to Dubai I craved lush landscapes, mountains and adventure. Both my boys grew up here. Michael, now 20, lives in London and Philip, 18, is in Montreal – both are at university. We have all enjoyed Dubai’s privileged lifestyle, although I have always been aware that many others aren’t as fortunate.
It all changed when... “In 2002, I was getting a poster printed for the non-profit female chorus I sing for when I met Paul Oliver, the owner of Quick Print. He told me about his idea to launch Gulf for Good. I loved the concept and signed up for one of their earliest expeditions scheduled later that year – we walked to Everest base camp raising money to build a hospital in the area.
As a result... “I was hooked! For me the combination was perfect – physical endurance, adventure and direct involvement with a worthwhile cause. It’s a very powerful experience to see first-hand the impact you can make on a young person’s life. I quickly learned raising money is far more satisfying than just handing it over.
Since then... “Six months after my first expedition I was ready for my second, which was a cycling and trekking trip through Jordan raising money for Queen Rania’s Centre for Abused Children. Two months later I climbed Kilimanjaro, with all proceeds going towards a local school. Three expeditions in 12 months was my Gulf for Good hat trick.
“I had a nine-month break, then in May 2004 I trekked the Great Wall of China
raising money for a mobile cataract hospital. Shortly after the tsunami in 2005, I cycled through Sri Lanka. The money raised supplied ten families with new homes. My sixth challenge was the Annapurna circuit in the Himalayas, the seventh cycling through Cuba – all for great causes.
“Working in the commercial world means I have a lot of connections to drum up corporate sponsorship. It’s partly why I have been able to fund as many expeditions as I have. Ultimately, my goal is take the Gulf for Good concept into the corporate workplace.
Moving on... “Over the years I have come up with novel ways of fundraising. Perhaps my most innovative to date was the winter yoga solstice held in December in Dubai Internet City. The shortest day of the year coincides with a full moon only once every 84 years. To celebrate, we held 11 back-toback yoga and fitness classes from sunrise to sunset.
“Participants made a donation to my next cause, the Gulf for Good trek through the Ethiopian highlands in March raising money for the RAEY Foundation, a clinic and school for orphan HIV/Aids children in Ethiopia.
“My passion for yoga runs deep. In 2009, my younger brother Jason was found dead, aged 38, of unknown causes. He ran an addiction centre in Thailand and the news was devastating. My mother and I took a kind of pilgrimage to Thailand in his honour. While we were there we spent a week in a yoga retreat. It was a very powerful experience for both of us. Since then, I have become a yoga teacher with the hope of passing on that inner peace and serenity.
“As for the fundraising and Gulf for Good challenges, how can I stop now? While
children still suffer, and while I am able to take my small steps to help, I will continue. It’s the least I can do.”
Find out more about Gulf for Good at www.gulf4good.org.
