On the 11th of May 2024, Christopher van der Spek will again be attempting an Everest Challenge to raise funds and awareness for First Steps Pregnancy Support. This time around we are going bigger and better with the aim of raising $2 per metre climbed. Please consider donating to support!
donate nowOn the 11th of May 2024, Christopher van der Spek will again be attempting an Everest Challenge to raise funds and awareness for First Steps Pregnancy Support. This time around we are going bigger and better with the aim of raising $2 per metre climbed. Please consider donating to support!
donate now*All donations over $2 are tax deductible
It pushes you to go beyond what you ever thought you could cope with or achieve. For those women who start out with the world against them, the prospect of becoming a mother is more daunting than climbing the highest mountain. It takes a team of people who believe in them, cheer them on, train them physically and mentally to be able to take on the challenge, and who are there beside them every step of the way. This is the role First Steps Pregnancy Support seeks to have in the lives of pregnant women in challenging situations who may be struggling to find a way forward.
Men may find it difficult to understand the enormity of the challenges a woman faces in becoming a mother. However, local cycling enthusiast Christopher van der Spek is going to try. To symbolically represent the struggle, he is going to ride up ‘Everest’. In doing so he will also be raising money to help these women access the comprehensive support and relational care they need to equip them to become confident and capable mothers.
I am Christopher van der Spek, a Canberra local who loves cycling and is passionate about meaningful causes. After the success of the inaugural Everest Challenge for First Steps in 2022, I can't wait to raise further awareness and funds to support First Steps Pregnancy Support!
To raise funds for First Steps, I will be attempting an Everest Challenge on a local hill in Canberra. This will involve cycling up and down the climb enough times in order to ascend the equivalent elevation of Mount Everest - 8,849m. This will likely take 13-16 hours. We are aiming to raise two dollars for every metre climbed!
Conditions permitting, I will be attempting the Everest Challenge on Saturday 11th of May 2024. I will be starting around 3am. The ideal location is the Arboretum in Canberra but site approval is a very prolonged process so we cannot confirm yet.
The inaugural FSPS Everest Challenge took place at Mt Ainslie in 2022, where over 16 hours, I rode the equivalent elevation of Everest and raised $11,215 thanks to the generous support of so many in the local community. This assisted with foundational set up expenses for the new First Steps premises in Queanbeyan. Further to this, I have also taken part in the annual Great Cycle challenge several times and raised thousands of dollars to support kids through their battle with cancer. Motivated by my desire to support climate action, I have been riding to work for the past 6 years, enabling my wife and I to drive less, and preventing some 30 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
After the success of the first Everest Challenge, there was no question that I wanted to give the challenge another go to further support pregnant women and mothers facing disadvantage in our community!
Please consider giving generously to help First Steps Pregnancy Support grow its ability to provide services and support to mothers in need in our local community. If you are in the area on the day, come and say hi (we will confirm the location as soon as we have approval) and if you are a keen cyclist, bring your bike and join me for a few reps! $17,698 sounds like a lot of money to raise, but with each of you giving what you can, we can get there!
Donations for this fundraiser have ended, however if you would like to support the work of First Steps Pregnancy Support, sign up for updates, or make a donation, please get in touch via the Partner With Us or Contact pages.
