Row for Hemophilia Report

Horizons in Hemophilia, August 2015

By Amy Bretherton, Director of Marketing and Communications

Summer has been a busy time for Jacob and Chris as they train and fundraise for Row for Hemophilia. The dynamic duo was featured in a July article in the Marietta Daily Journal. Read this informative article here. Also, look for an article in the August issue of Hemophilia World which will be published by the World Federation of Hemophilia during the last week of August.

Training has been steadily underway as Jacob and Chris have run, biked, paddled and weightlifted in Georgia, Florida and even Korea! They have shared photos of their impressive workouts on their Facebook page which now has 500+ fans. West Georgia Strength & Conditioning has provided a home for Chris’ summer training and has also agreed to become a Row for Hemophilia sponsor.

Chris and friend Josh, from the new UGA Factor IX group, made a trip to Camp Wannaklot where they spoke to campers and explained Row for Hemophilia and the growing awareness of hemophilia as a result of Jacob's quest to become the first ocean rower with hemophilia. Chris said: “Seeing the campers reinforced our passion and drive for our mission now more than ever. We are keeping the messages they gave us to hopefully stick on our boat in the future so that we may not only never forget the smiles Camp Wannaklot brings to the campers, but also to remember to be safe and have fun when we take to the oars.”

Row for Hemophilia entered the Nexen Dream Your Adventure Facebook contest with the goal of winning the $10,000 prize for their expedition start-up fees. The contest, based on voting, ended July 21st and unfortunately, although Jacob and Chris encouraged their family, friends and supporters to vote daily, they did not win.

A new GoFundMe account was established in the hopes of revitalizing their campaign by changing to a more widely accepted platform. Every donation counts no matter how small. You can “Feed a Rower for a Day.” $30 will cover food for a rower for one day. $20 will cover lunch and dinner. $7 will cover breakfast/snack. “We want to complete the race in less than 50 days, but we’ll prepare food for 80 days,” Chris said. They have also established a bank account which will allow them to accept checks made out to Row for Hemophilia.

According to Jacob, they want to make it crystal clear how the money raised will be spent. “The first big expense will be the boat. We have contacted 2-3 potential sellers priced around 20k USD. We would like to legitimize our efforts to be known as a charitable yet awesome cause by creating a sort of contract showing that the boat will be sold following The Great Pacific Race and that all the money from the sale of the boat will go directly to HoG. We feel this would also help our clarity.”

Although the sponsor search has been somewhat disappointing, according to Jacob, they are gradually gaining ground with discount offers from big companies such as C2 (for oars) and Expedition Foods (for food on the journey). Jacob and Chris are planning some fundraising events including a Trivia Night to start really gaining some traction. They will also be printing more Row for Hemophilia t-shirts to sell at events, presentations and at the gym. They hope to land additional sponsorships soon. Jacob said, “The search is continuing with e-mails/word-of-mouth/etc. – it should just be a matter of time.”

If 21-year old Chris and 20-year old Jacob are able to join the race, they would be the youngest team in the event’s history, and Jacob would be the only person with hemophilia to attempt an ocean row. Supporters can help them reach their goal and raise awareness for hemophilia by donating through the group’s website.

Are you wondering how they came up with this unusual fundraising idea? Watch the 11Alive Row for Hemophilia video as reporter Jaye Watson reveals their motivation and their special bond that extends beyond the boat.