Visit some of the most welcoming people you will ever know, see an incredibly beautiful country, meet some of our students (maybe your student) and marvel at the animals in Tanzania's amazing national parks.

     Go to our web site at: www.godparents4tz.org and click on Discovery Safaris to learn more. 

      There are currently 13 of 16 places available.  Trips typically fill up 8-9 months in advance of departure. 

 

 

          At 5:00 a.m. on June 14, 2008, Joseph Timmins of Baltimore, Maryland, climbed aboard his BMW R1150RT motorcycle and began a thousand mile journey.  He would be home well before breakfast the next day! 

          This was a qualifying ride for membership in a unique association of motorcycle enthusiasts.  Joe explained, "The ride was intended to qualify for certification in the Iron Butt Association.  To be certified, the ride must cover 1,000 miles or more within 24 hours.  Various documentation is required, including witnesses for the beginning and end of the ride, dated and time-stamped receipts for gas, and a map and log of the ride."

          Joe used his ride to even greater purpose.  He received pledges from family and friends who, if he qualified, would make a donation to Godparents for Tanzania to support our work in providing scholarships to secondary and university students in Tanzania, East Africa.

          It turned out to be a tough ride according to Joe. " Right away we ran into trouble as our intended route for the beginning of the ride, Rte 95N, was closed due to an accident!  So, we improvised, found our way up to Delaware, rode down the eastern shore of Maryland, over and through the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, through a significant traffic jam in Norfolk, VA, and down to the coast of North Carolina.  By this time it was in the mid-nineties and, as any rider will tell you, it's not much fun to sit at a stop light in that kind of heat.  There were significant forest fires in northeastern North Carolina at that time and we rode through several areas so thick in smoke that it was like driving through dense fog.  We traveled past the Outer Banks down to the little town of Oriental, NC, where we turned west. Then, over to Raleigh and up to Richmond, VA, where we got caught in a significant series of thunderstorms. The rain hit at about the 800 mile mark.  We took shelter under the awning of a gas station, checked weather reports and waited.  Thankfully, it let up after about 45 minutes and we were able to continue up through Waldorf, MD, to Annapolis, and then to Baltimore, 1,016 miles in all.  I got home about 2:00 a.m. on the 15th."

          We congratulate Joe on his qualification as a member of the Iron Butt Association and we sincerely thank him for riding for our kids in Tanzania. 

          Joe's ride raised over $4,000 for Godparents for Tanzania!

          Thanks, Joe!  We'll ride with you anytime!