teammta

Mercy Corps

2008-05-01T15:46:00.002-04:00

Mercy Corps and NetAid Join Forces to Move Americans from Awareness to Action. Merger Provides New Model for U.S. Education to Fight Global Poverty

Mercy Corps, the global humanitarian agency, and NetAid, a nonprofit that works nationally to empower young people to fight global poverty, announced today that they have officially merged organizations in a new effort to radically change the way that Americans – especially young Americans – learn about and respond to the challenges of global poverty.

The merger represents a new model for relief and development organizations committed to aligning U.S. public engagement on global poverty with the vast and immediate needs in the poorest regions of the world.

"Together, we seek nothing less than to transform a generation of leaders," stated Neal Keny-Guyer, chief executive officer of Mercy Corps. "We aim to bring the complex issues of poverty, aid and development to young Americans, the group best positioned to make lasting changes to the world's toughest problems."

NetAid's programs will collectively become an initiative of Mercy Corps and one of the central pillars in Mercy Corps' strategy to build a stronger, smarter U.S. domestic constituency committed to ending global poverty.

In spring 2008, Mercy Corps will open the doors of its new hunger and poverty action center in New York's Battery Park City. The center is an unprecedented initiative to build public awareness about how assets and access to opportunity can transform the lives of families living amid poverty, disaster and conflict around the world. The new center, anticipating nearly 100,000 visitors annually, will anchor Mercy Corps' and NetAid's combined education and outreach efforts.

"It was clear early in our discussions that Mercy Corps and NetAid shared tremendous compatibility in the areas that matter: values, vision, and strategy," explained Dr. Kimberly Hamilton, president of NetAid, who led the merger discussions. "While there are important economies of scale to consider in a merger, we understood immediately that a partnership with Mercy Corps would, most importantly, help us connect many, many more Americans with compelling reasons to reconsider their relationship to people winning against poverty every day."

NetAid's global education experience will provide Mercy Corps with a tested and successful model of applied youth engagement. The reach of Mercy Corps' work in poor communities globally will create more ways for young people in the United States to connect to their peers living under the constraints of poverty. In addition, Mercy Corps field staff will provide real-time, fact-based information about the successes, the set-backs and the progress being made in the fight against poverty.

"Given the disconnect between global social needs and the resources to support sustainable solutions, a merger such as this is a perfect model for the nonprofit sector," said Alfred Wise, president of Community Wealth Ventures. "We knew that both organizations could accelerate their progress by combining extraordinary existing internal assets." NetAid retained Community Wealth Ventures, a social enterprise consulting firm and subsidiary of Share Our Strength, one of the nation's leading anti-hunger and anti-poverty organizations, to explore potential partnerships.

Over the next several months, NetAid and Mercy Corps will develop an integration plan that expands the reach of current programs and lays the groundwork for new initiatives timed with the opening of the New York hunger and poverty center. The ultimate goal is to foster a richer conversation in the United States about global poverty that will, over time, build a more fertile environment for greater action.

GALLERY

2008-04-21T15:59:00.004-04:00

So the gallery has been updated! You can either view the slide show by clicking the link on the right of the page. Or goto our gallery page and click on the album to view the pictures!

For Your Amusement

2007-09-13T10:45:00.000-04:00

For your amusement...here is a picture of us stuck in a river in Mongolia. We had to bail out the floorboards. The bridge was out. It was dark and very silty. I'm full of excuses.

Anyway...please don't forget that it is never too late to DONATE to one of our worthwhile charities. Click on one of the links to the right. Even if you can only give a small amount...every little bit helps.

Also, for anyone who lives in Astoria and would like to do a good deed for a day...there are a couple of events that are seeking volunteers. First...we are looking for volunteers to work on New York Cares Day for Team Astoria Cares. The event will take place on Saturday, October 20 from 9:30am-3:30pm. Come out and have some fun helping clean up local schools. For information on the event and how to register, please contact Amy at AmyCeee@aol.com with the words "New York Cares" in the subject line. Second...we saw on the Joey in Astoria blog that Saturday, September 15 from 9am-12:30pm is the 21st Annual International Coastal Cleanup. You can help out at Astoria Park! Come down and register that morning. Please be sure to wear clothing that you can get a little wet and dirty in! For more information go to the Joey in Astoria website (http://www.astorianyc.blogspot.com/) or send an email to Karen.Overton@parks.nyc.gov

A Moment of Reflection

2007-09-11T18:28:00.000-04:00

Some memories do not fade with time. For those of us who watched the Towers fall on September 11, six years ago, the images and grief of that day and the following days probably never will. This country, and indeed the world, was inevitably changed by the murderous actions of a few.

When I first signed up for the Mongol Rally, family and friends thought it was an incredibly bad idea. For some it was merely for comfort reasons - but I have never been one for a lazy beach vacation. For many others, worry for our safety, especially as Americans, was their primary concern. Arguments were waged and advice was given. In the end, my teammates and I ignored it all. And we will never regret that decision. All along our journey, strangers opened the homes to us. They helped repair our car. They fed us. Shook our hands. Asked questions about our families and lives at home. Smiled. Hugged us.

With politics, money and power dividing the world, it is easy to let our fears consume our lives. Although we should never forget the tragedies that happen in life, we must not let our anxieties lead us to make judgements too quickly. There will always be something to "fear" in the world. I just encourage everyone to take a journey like this. Off the beaten trail, away from the tour guides and cities. Kindness and openness exist. Only by getting out there can you really see that it truly is a wonderful world. And only by sharing with one another in this way can the openness spread.

In loving memory of all those we have lost and to a more peaceful future for all of us.

Amy

Czech, Slovakia and Hungary

2007-09-10T20:45:00.000-04:00

Who knew Budapest would remind us so much of home... After seeing the Cafe Astoria, we couldn't resist having Greek food. Banking, lunch and a quick 15 minute tour down by the river and we were off again. Of course it took several hours to actually get out of Budapest. We will never complain about NYC traffic again. No...really. Our inability to read or find the names of streets had us following signs to the airport to get us out. At a petrol station on the outskirts of Budapest, a gentleman working for the AP in Hungary found a path through the gridlock to speak with us. He had heard of the Mongol Rally and wanted to meet us so he could follow our team website (and sign our car). Fame. And not even out of Europe yet. We promise not to let it go to our heads!

2007-09-10T19:01:00.000-04:00

After leaving Prague, taking the wrong road and having to backtrack for an hour, Team MTA made up for lost time by blowing by numerous Rally cars. The VW was running well and the day was beautiful! Passed Jack Osbourne while driving through Slovakia. Guess which finger he is holding up as I take his picture?! Ah the camaraderie of the Mongol Rally. Made it to Hungary and found a great campground next to a sunflower field. After a long conversation with the charming young woman who was running the establishment and convincing her that we were not insane for covering a underpowered rustbucket with stickers and driving it to Mongolia we pitched our tents and had our first night under the stars.

Gallery

2007-09-06T11:22:00.000-04:00

Its been a busy time for all of us over here at Team MTA. Thus picture posting has been going a little slower than we would like. While we will continue to to post pictures and stories here (and who know eventually some video clips?) I wanted to give everyone a link to a gallery that already has a few posted. . .

Click Here for the gallery.. or copy and paste the below address:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2017743&l=91efa&id=27100175

I know, I know. Some of you may be saying "facebook... don't i have to sign up for that??" truth to view this album- no. just click away and enjoy the photos. Cheers for now!

Onward to Prague

2007-09-03T00:33:00.000-04:00

Dover - check. France check. Belgium check. Germany check. Czech - check. A hard 24+ hour drive to the beautiful city of Prague. I'm sure the rest of Western Europe was lovely. I might be able to say this with more certainty if it hadn't been pitch black night for most of the trip. Alternating between sleeping and driving and visiting various petrol stations, Team MTA managed to take a few snapshots of roadsigns as evidence that we were actually there. I thought of my friend Peter's family as we passed the sign for Wurzburg. Sean waxed nostalgic as we passed within miles of his birthplace of Nurnburg. We all became very attached to the Mongol Mugs' car "Gaby", as for seemingly endless miles we saw nothing but their license plate. Numerous energy drinks later we managed to reach Prague - and find our hotel without getting lost. The Americans were beginning to feel confident. Too bad that would only last for a few more days! Attended the official Mongol Rally "Party in Prague" event then took a quick walking tour of the city. Prague is a magical city indeed and Team MTA highly recommends the beds at the Angelo Hotel. We dreamed about those beds often on the last two weeks of our journey.

The Launch in Hyde Park

2007-09-02T13:37:00.000-04:00

Who would have thought that 200 crappy cars covered in stickers and loaded with spare tires would be a popular tourist attraction in a city like London...but lo and behold thousands of people came out to see the bizarre additions to the roads of the world that would be taking part in the Mongol Rally 2007. Maybe they came out for the performance of traditional Mongolian throat singing by Britian's premier performer of that genre. Most ralliers hoped it would sound better in Mongolia. We met a woman from New York now living in London who was thrilled to see her former hometown represented (thanks for your donation!). We bought ice cream to benefit charity from a team actually taking an ice cream truck on the journey. Various supped up car horns scared the horses in the nearby riding ring. 200 cars similtaneously reved their tiny engines and took over the streets of London for a drive by of Buckingham palace as they headed on their epic roadtrip. The Queen was in. What a view she must have had from her window. Wonder what she was thinking...

Not the only ones to break down

2007-09-02T12:59:00.000-04:00

As you all now know, our car bought off of ebay had no clutch and broke down 10 miles after it was picked up. Thanks to the team's new friend Steve Theobald, a day later she had had several hundred dollars and many hours invested into her to get her up and running. We can't thank Steve enough for his help - would have been a very short trip without you!

Team MTA was not the only team to have problems before the race. We began Saturday morning getting and aerobic workout by helping push Green Team's 2CV through London to the start line in Hyde park (and two days later was a repeat in Prague). Good thing several teams were staying in the same hotel. Believe it or not, Green Team made it all the way to Ulaanbaatar - two days ahead of us! Congratulations boys! It was a pleasure parking next to you in the lock up!

Back in the Big Apple

2007-08-31T11:46:00.001-04:00

We finally arrived safe in sound in New York. Headed straight to the pub for a cold beverage and a much missed New York pizza. Numerous friends who don't normally come out on a Monday night found themselves drawn to the Rover. Tears were shed, laughs were had. It was so great to see everyone again. Our apologies for all the big events we missed and for our profound incoherence that evening!

Over the next week we will be updating the blog with stories and photos of our little whirlwind adventure, so check back to see photos of people who didn't shower and were covered in oil, gas and dirt and of our trusty steed Delila, who by some miracle, got us to Ulaanbaatar.

Thanks again to all of our family, friends and especially to our SPONSORS who made this trip a great success. Also, if you haven't done so already, please consider a donation to our charities. Raising money for them was what made this trip worthwhile and meeting people along the way who benefit from the money and goods donated by the Rally and the teams meant a great deal to all of us.

Almost home yet again

2007-08-26T15:33:00.000-04:00

Sean and Amy at yet another airport. Gatwick. Checked in at 8am this morning. Plane has mechanical problems and will be delayed. What they actually meant was can't fix plane and have no contingency plan for all of the passengers. Stuck yet again. Have been put up at the Hilton across the street from the airport and will try again tomorrow. I (Amy) having meltdown every five minutes. Hoping dinner and a cold beverage will help. Paying $6 for 15 minutes of internet service is not helping. Really really looking forward to seeing everyone.

Almost Home

2007-08-22T17:01:00.000-04:00

Team MTA is almost home. Current location is the airport in Seoul, South Korea. We are exhausted but exhilarated. Many stories to tell and photos to share. We made it!!!!

We miss all of you and will see you soon.

So here we are

2007-08-10T00:19:00.000-04:00

So here we are... back in the... back in the back in the USSR. Ok lame attempt at humor but still. Lets see where did we leave off, ah yes! Ukraine!

We don't have much time in this lovely internet cafe so I'm just going to be very very brief. We did some swimming in the black sea. Did some driving, car blew up (again) sat at a border crossing (again. This one only took 10 hours though, not 19). Russia was fine - nothing overly spectacular. Slept in the cars more often than not also hit a hotel in Rostov but made it out of the country within 72 hours.

Crossing the Kaz border was interesting. It involved a ferry crossing at which point a certain unnamed team member (cough nick cough) was driving. I only mention this because upon boarding the ferry our exhaust system was- well lets say removed (seems nicer than "ripped off"). So now out car sounds like a true rally car.... which has its benefits- we cant really hear each other, and its draw backs... we cant really hear each other. Roads in Kaz are a bit more than rough, and it turns out not having the exhaust has given us more ground clearance now so it was a happy accident! The cuisine is meat on a stick and the majority of the water warm and bubbly. All in all though this has been an amazing country with fantastic people everywhere we look. Just a few days ago, for example, we were stopped at a petrol station (gas station for all you American readers) doing some minor repairs, like rebuilding our sump, when a young man walked over and invited the team to his house for tea. Tea turned out to be a feast fit for Camelot. We chatted, sang, laughed and ate for hours. At the same time the local news had been contacted and we were interviewed and filmed with our cars for a local interest story in Shymkent, Kaz! We are SO celebrities... but don't worry the fame hasn't gone to our heads. We still smell to high heaven and I don't for see the rally look being anything popular any time soon.

There is so much else to tell! Words alone cannot express what this trip is. So I guess that means you'll all have to wait for the slide show. We are running a bit behind schedule and not sure where that's going to put us really but we can only take one day at a time. As long as our little Delilah keeps on running we will as well! Cheers every one!

-Sean, Amy, and Nick

ps- Check out the pages of our convoy mates! You can find them on the mongol rally website...www.mongolrally.com just click on teams and look for teams Super Nova, and Golden Ouef. And thanks for the nice messages from home. We miss everyone and can't wait to see you.

Recap

2007-07-31T00:39:00.000-04:00

We have been absent for awhile. Drove through Slovakia in just a few hours. Brian Adams is playing in September in Bratislava. Mark your calendars! Crossed into Hungary and camped next to a lovely sunflower field. Too bad it was dark outside. The next morning it was on to Budapest. After seeing a Cafe Astoria, we all felt homesick and had Greek food for lunch. Saw a bit of the city. Very beautiful. More to see next year. Back to the car and straight on to the Romania border.

After being the first ones across the border (with little to no incident), we met up with the rest of the "Mongol Horde" aka 15 other Mongol Rally teams taking over a petrol station and joinned our original convoy to find a campsite for the evening. As darkness approached and we were hopelessly lost and being chased by packs of dogs we stumbled across a dark and stormy parking lot that was called a campsite. Barely had time to pitch the tents before the deluge began (tents hold up really well in the rain - thank goodness for small miracles). Spent the night playing English drinking games for no good reason.

On to Transylvania. Curvy roads, beautiful countryside and tourist trap castles. No werewolves or vampires. However there were French circus hippies at that evenings campsite which is more frightening than any werewolf. On to the Romania border. This is where the real fun began. The border town of Galati was in the middle of their evening tire fire as we arrived. The ocnvoy drove in circles until we obtained our police escort. Going at the speed of light down cobblestone streets and through crater size potholes, the police actually stopped and told us we needed to drive faster. We reached the border crossing only to be turned away by the Moldovans for not having the correct "Green Card" insurance. Camping that night consisted of playing cricket in the train station parking lot and a couple of winks in the car. All night we were surrounded by a pack of wild dogs. They appeared to have adopted us as their "Alpha" dog seeing how since there was no restroom facilities the convoy had to "take care of business" were ever we found a spot.

Long story shot, after 5 hours of sitting at the border the next morning and with a little help from the British Embassy in Moldova, we were able to get through.

Drove through Ukraine - camped at a Kebob stand which had a great food. Woke the next morning to drive to the Black Sea for a much needed swim as none of us had showered for days. Went to the Sam' Club of Eastern Europe and stocked up on supplies. Then the car problems started.

The oil leak sprayed the substance all over the engine. Car smoked and smelled much like us. More on this in our next update......

On the Move

2007-07-23T03:34:00.000-04:00

Roof rack is being installed. We will be hitting the road in a few hours headed toward Slovakia. Tonight will begin the camping portion of said trip. May not be in touch for awhile.

By the way...this blog may appear in English, but the computer we are using refuses to show give in instructions in said language! Only Czech! Can't wait for cyrillic in Kazakhstan and Mongolia!

Prague at Last

2007-07-22T10:40:00.000-04:00

Okay. So we brokedown before the Rally even began. Did you think we were going to pack it up and come home? Of course not (sorry mom) and despite all odds - we have made it to Prague! We still have to install our roof rack and get spare tires and a few more supplies but...sorry for you naysayers...things are coming along smashingly. We left the hotel in London at 8am in a convoy with 4 other teams and headed towards Hyde Park. Nearly half way there, we had to get out and push...not our our car, but the SOLAR - yes I said SOLAR - powered 2CV that our friends in the Green Team are daringly driving.

On to Hyde Park. We fought our way through all the London traffic and confusion. And after many trips around many roundabouts we stumbled upon Victoria's Gate and proceeded to the launch event where we were given a prime parking spot in front of the stage. I can't wait to post pictures of all the imaginative creations that people created out of crappy underpowered vehicles. I was glad for the opportunity seeing them there considering how many of them won't make it to Mongolia. We ran into the Windmill Giants team also from NYC. They promptly told us about their newest sponsor - the borough of Westminister had towed their car at the crack of dawn on the day of the launch. They were able to get it back thankfully - complete with a giant orange sticker listing their parking infraction.

To anyone who is considering driving in London - don't. We toured the sights with many other ralliers on the way out of London simply because we were hopelessly lost. The Queen sends her love.

After managing to get out of London, we headed towards our rendevous with our Sea France ferry and the beautiful city of Dover. And yes the white cliffs are quite spectacular. Discussions on the ferry led to a four team convoy to Prague. We drove, and drove, and drove. We overheated. We fixed the problem. We stopped for bathrooms, petrol and caffine...lots of caffine. No sleep and more than 24 hours after leaving our London hotel, we made it to our digs in Prague. Onward ho...

New Car - Almost

2007-07-22T10:19:00.000-04:00

After receiving a phone call from London with news about the state of the car, I had no idea what to expect when I arrived at the airport on Friday morning. (Not to mention that I was already disgruntled after sitting on the tarmac at JFK for 2 hours the previous night, another hour late landing at Heathrow due to the beautiful English weather and the fact that the plan was struck by lightening just before landing and I was then put through a 30 minute entry interview by customs and immigration about my travel plans.)

Before I left for this journey I asked our Magic 8 Ball/Mongolian GPS system that was graciously given to the team from my sister, if the boys had fixed the car. The answer was "yes". I will always trust the power of the Magic 8 Ball from this point foward. I found my teammates awaiting me at baggage claim where I was escorted to our lovely and rebuilt vehicle. Sean and Nick were still coated in black grease and grime from rebuilding the car on the previous day, but she purred like a kitten. Well, as much as a car with a 1043cc engine can purr while carrying 3 passengers and all of their supplies (not including extra gas and tires) for their 4 week excursion half way around the world.

We found our hotel and shopped for food, tools, equipment and spare parts til we dropped - literally. After a quick nap, Team MTA headed into the heart of London for the kick-off party and to meet the 199 other straight-jacket worthy teams who are participating in this year's Mongol Rally.

More stories to come - Amy

So... Ummm...Yeah

2007-07-22T09:36:00.000-04:00

Hi there! So its started. Nick and I (Sean) flew to Liverpool the other day to begin the preparations for the start of the Mongol Rally. Flight seemed rather uneventful... except of course for Sean's usual "extra special" security pat down.

Upon arrival in Liverpool all went well and the two of us managed to not only navigate the English rail system unscathed but also found time for beers. All in all we made it down to our new car no problems... thats where the fun starts.

After some rather dodgey driving bits around the neighborhood and a QUICK good bye from the cars previous owner Nick and I headed down the highway wind in our hair and a piss poor map in my lap. Until it stopped. The car that is. Ten miles out of town from where we picked it up, the damn thing went kaboom. The long and short of it all is.... the car had no clutch. The water pump was leaking and corroded, the cam belt was about to slip, there was approximately 1/2 a liter of black sludge for oil and the air filter had been changed never. (We will go more into detail at a better time). Our good buddies, from team Skip Lizard, set us up with their mechanic who graciously housed us fed us gave us parts at cheap and helped us more or less rebuild the motor. God bless ya Steve Theobald of ST Engineering, Surrey, England.

After all was rebuilt we got on our way and cruised to Heathrow to pick up our very own paper pusher and get ready for the next days start off.... with NONE of the preparitive shopping we had planned to do. Fun laughs and good times.

SO for all you box holders out there- If you are the first box you win (I know that means Gerry Cass and Barry O') . We will be letting the bars know. Just so ya alls know.... the total cost of repairs and recovery and parts has come close to just about everything in our bank account. If you're a winner and so inclined.... (shameless shameless panhandling here) feel free to hit our PayPal account at the bottom of this page. We are also still excepting donations for the charities as well (whom we have met and are so pleased with the amount we have raised and how much it surpasses a good deal of the other teams! Thanks guys!!!!!)

We have loads of photos that we will be posting over the next few hours as well as posts from Nick and Amy to fill in rest of the trip thus far. Cheers to everyone!

-Sean

ps- we are also included in an article on MSNBC.com about the rally- hit it up and search Mongol Rally.

Time to Celebrate

2007-07-11T08:25:00.000-04:00

The official "goodbye" party has been set. Come on out on Friday the 13th of July and join Team MTA for our big sendoff! Enjoy a Genghis-tini, a Mongol Madness, or a Gobi Gimlet whilst grooving to some music (no, we will not be featuring Mongolian throat singers).

Directions: Take the N or W train to 30th Ave. Head east on 30th Ave. (numbers on the cross streets will be going up i.e. 32nd, 33rd...) or if you want to save your feet for dancing you can take the Q19 bus at the 30th Ave. subway station (heading east of course) to 45th St.

2007-07-10T08:49:00.000-04:00

We are just a week and a half from launch day!

Team MTA has met our minimum fundraising goal but we want to show everyone what Americans are mad of. Keep those donations coming! We would like to raise over $5000 for these noble charities. We are about half way there so start clicking the links or come out to the Send Off Party at the Quays on Friday the 13th!

We would also like to make a plea to anyone with friends and family abroad. If you know of any auto mechanics along our route that would be amazing! Also, information on campsites or friends who could put us up for a night (and provide us with a shower!) would also be greatly appreciated. And finally...if you would like to contribute some gas money...click on the Donate to the Team link at the bottom of the sidebar.

Thanks again to all of the amazing sponsors and supporters!

2007-07-09T09:00:00.000-04:00

It was a busy busy weekend for Team MTA with two events and lots of final planning for the trip. We had a wonderful time on Friday at the Glen Oaks. Janene was marvelous as always (as was Scott) and it was great to see so many new faces out there! Sunday's big Night at the Races at the Irish Rover has created some new members for Gambler's Anonymous but was an excellent fundraiser.

Thanks to the amazing people at both of these fine Astoria establishments, Team MTA was able to raise over $1000 for our charities!!!

Let the weekend begin!

2007-07-06T12:56:00.000-04:00

Hey folks! The week of big time celebrations has arrived!

Kick off your weekend right by joinning Team MTA tonight at Glen Oaks bar for a night of sweet melody provided by the lovely and talented Janene Otten. If you have not heard this girl sing you are really missing out! Rumor has it there will be some special raffle and some other musicians joinning Janene, so get out of the humidity and come have a pint.

Sunday is the big race night at the Irish Rover. The event will start at 7pm. We have a few (but not many) horses left for pre-purchase. Yes that's right. For a mere $20 you can "own" your very own equine. If your horse wins - you get half of that races pool! Bets on the horses begin at $2.

Thanks to Kristen and her friends at the joey in astoria blog for getting the word out! Click on the link to the right or go to http://astorianyc.blogspot.com/. We love living in Astoria and this site always has great ideas and activities for getting the most out of our little slice of NYC.

Team MTA is in AM New York! (sorta)

2007-06-29T10:50:00.000-04:00

A big thanks to another New York team entering the rally - Windmill Giants. There was an article about them and the Rally in today's AM New York and they gave us a nod. We were lucky enough to meet them at a gathering of the New York teams a few weeks ago. Here is the article...

NYers set to drive 10,000 miles (to Mongolia)
By Justin Rocket Silverman, amNewYork Staff Writer
jsilverman@am-ny.com
June 29, 2007

The stereotypical American needs a four-wheel drive SUV to make it from a house in the suburbs to the local shopping mall.
For two New Yorkers planning a 10,000-mile drive from England to Mongolia this summer, a tiny 1.3 liter Eastern European car called a Škoda Felicia will do the job.
It will have to, as the rules of the Mongol Rally, an annual charity ride expected to draw 200 teams this year, prohibit any larger or more powerful car.
"You'd be surprised how many people would like to get into a … little car and drive 10,000 miles to Mongolia," says David Toal, one half of team Windmill Giants. "At least 1,000 miles of that is over unpaved roads. We have to raise the car, and I'm planning to get the best shock absorbers money can buy."
Along with wife Illiana Ivanova, Toal will depart for London on July 19. He has three weeks off his job in hotel management to finish the trip.
The goal, in addition to breaking free of the sanitized, routine existence of daily life, is to raise money for charity, including Mercy Corps, which help rural communities in Mongolia.
To this end, the Windmill Giants are seeking sponsorship from local businesses to share in some unconventional publicity.
"We have to raise at least $2,000. But being the overachieving New Yorkers that we are, we are trying to blow that figure out of the water," says Toal.
A few other New York-based teams, including the MTA, Mongolian Transportation Authority, are also competing.
Last year's local entry to the Mongol Rally, team New Yorkistan, never made it to the finish line. They were waylaid by "intestinal problems" and had to return home early.
But the money for charity had already been raised, and there was no arguing with rally organizers, who clearly explain on their Web site (mongolrally.com) that, "You are entirely responsible for yourself. When you sign up you will have to sign our disclaimers and terms of entry so you can't sue us when you die."

Copyright 2007 Newsday Inc.

This weekend!

2007-06-29T07:57:00.000-04:00

*****The date for this event has been changed to Friday, July 6!!!*****

The unofficial kick off of benefits, parties, jovialities, and other events to support the MTA- all the while helping one forget about the pains of the previous week- is this weekend! Saturday starting around 9pm ish at the Glen Oaks bar on 30th ave and 37th street in Astoria. Live music, drinks, good times. Join us for a fun night of low key fun at a neighborhood place where everyone knows your name even if you dont want them to. Cheers!!

latest addition

2007-06-25T17:36:00.000-04:00

She's arrived! Our very own little girlie. Today we purchased our very own VW Polo! Site unseen and on good faith. We are very happy to have this 17 year old, 99,000 mile addition to the Mongolian Transportaion Authority! Picture to come soon.

*EDIT*

Here she be.... aint she a beaut?

Night at the Races Benefit! July 8

2007-06-22T14:27:00.000-04:00

Please join Team MTA and smattering of friends for a Night at the Races at the Irish Rover on July 8. Bid on some horses, win some prizes and raise some money for our charities! This is a night not to be missed. And so much easier to get to than Belmont Park! For more info email us at teammta@gmail.com. See you there!

It starts...

2007-06-22T10:38:00.000-04:00

Much to the dismay of his teammates... Sean's banjo has officially arrived! He wasnt kidding. With a little under a month to go he is practicing non stop making sure to have those finger pickin sounds down to an ear grinding science before heading out of Hyde Park and into the great blue yonder!!

The Official "Breakdown" Pool is Out!

2007-06-20T08:37:00.000-04:00

After listening to the considerable flack we have received over the past month over how far we will actually make it before our valiant rust bucket has its first breakdown, we've decided you should put your money where your mouth is! For a mere $20 you can purchase your very own "city" in our breakdown pool. There are 25 available - first come first serve. When Team MTA has its very first (of what I'm sure will be many) stops at the side of the road - we will send a message to this blog and whichever city we are closest to is the winner! The Team has decided that flat tires and running out of gas do not qualify as a "breakdown" but anything else goes. Winner gets 50%, charities get 50%. (If you want the "Before the Start of the Rally" box, I suggest you hurry as there seems to be a rush on that one!)

You can participate by stopping by one of these fine establishments:

Irish Rover...37-18 28th Ave., Astoria, NY
The Quays... 46-02 30th Ave., Astoria, NY
Glen Oaks Bar...36-16 30th Ave., Astoria, NY

New Forms of Torture

2007-06-17T22:02:00.000-04:00

As if trying to drive from London to Mongolia in an underpowered vehicle wouldn't be a difficult enough task, one teammate has decided to fulfill his long time dream of learning to play the banjo. Said banjo was purchased today. Team members Nick and Amy are desperately seeking donations of earplugs so that they might have a slim chance of surviving this journey. (Friends who hold Sean dear to their hearts may want to consider making this donation if they would like to prevent his untimely death at the hands of the people he is electing to drive insane.)

Paperwork

2007-06-15T09:03:00.000-04:00

Our visa applications are in!

2007-06-12T16:56:00.000-04:00

As you can see from this lovely photograph, our cartographer (Nick) has everything under control. I'm sure that he will locate the safest route for us to make this journey and that it will be pothole free.

In the meantime we are racing to get our Visa applications completed and processed. We still have no car, but have decided not to worry about that until July.

There will be a benefit/send off party on (I shudder to think) Friday the 13th at The Quays in Astoria. Stay tuned to the site for more details!

http://www.thequaysnewyork.com/

2007-06-11T15:46:00.001-04:00

Hello Friends and Family!

Many of you have heard me wax poetic about a little adventure called the Mongol Rally for the past year. After failing miserably in getting one of the 200 coveted spots, we managed to bag a spot on the wait list. On May 30th, the fateful day arrived. Enough people dropped out of this foolhardy adventure for us to be able to go! With 2 months less to plan than all the other participants, Team MTA - Mongolian Transportation Authority, is attempting to travel 10,000 miles in a much too wimpy car from Hyde Park in London (start date July 21) to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia .

Why would anyone in their right mind do such a thing? In addition to the sheer adventure of it all, the Mongol Rally raises a load of money for some very deserving charities. This is a far cry from my usual charity event, AIDS Walk New York, which is literally a walk in the park in comparison. Our team consists of three members, none of which know how to repair a car, speak any languages but English or hold an international driver's license (yet).

The Team is raising money for Mercy Corps Mongolia and Send a Cow. For information on the charities please see the Charities link on the sidebar. I hope that you will take a look and find it worthy of a contribution to one of our charities. Every little bit helps! If you would like to go directly to the donation pages, they are as follows:

http://www.firstgiving.com/teammta-mercycorp
http://www.justgiving.com/teammta-sendacow

Money donated at these sites goes directly to the charities and the charities alone. We are covering our expenses such as gas, spare tires, ferry tickets, etc... with our own funds and with sponsorships. That being said, if you would like to contribute to the expense fund, please let me know. We are also in the midst of compiling a list of other items we need to outfit the car (which we don't have!) for such a long journey, so donations of any of those items would help as well. Check the website in a few days! Supporters will be receiving postcards from somewhere along the way!

Thanks a bunch!
Amy