Eight years ago, today, 29th February, a number of people gathered at the Londa Beach Hotel (Limassol, Cyprus), for the launch of the Leap Day Foundation (LDF).  This event, on the extra day in a leap year, kick-started many initiatives to raise funds for deserving charitable causes.

The majority of attendees pledged their support and promise to help promote this cause.  Over the years, a number of events took place.  Some events required the voluntary work of many people, others were the efforts of single individuals who carried out sponsored tasks such as running, walking, even giving up smoking.

Although I was the one who came up with the original idea, I have to say that the efforts of others were the reason we were able to raise tens of thousands of Euros which we used to help the sick, the poor, the disadvantaged young people and the environment.

I am so very proud and humbled to have been associated with such a group of people.  I will not bore you by listing the names of everyone who gave up their time, effort and cash as it is a very long list.  However, it would be unfair not to mention a specific person who more than anyone else put in so much effort and energy and continues to this day to believe in the idea. Her name is Anna Provata and I am very proud to count her amongst my best friends.

A year or so after the launch of LDF, I was introduced to a lady called Anastasia who worked closely with a Cypriot charity called Dancing Queen.  Anastasia told me the story of her sick young daughter who sadly died and was buried on 29th February 2012, the same day we launched LDF.  Her story broke my heart. We kept in touch and collaborated with Dancing Queen charity.

In the last couple of years, due to various circumstance, LDF has not had the attention and leadership it needed and deserved, except for the continued solo efforts of Anna.  However, I am so pleased to hear that recently two people in particular took it upon themselves to breathe life into the initiative and spread its principles outside of Cyprus.  They are Reem Abunahl and Abeer Abadi.  Knowing the two ladies and their singular determination, I am sure they will energize the concept of LDF and make it bigger and stronger than it ever was.  Expect to hear new and exciting initiatives they are currently working on!  Please, please watch out for the appearance of LDF on the various social media such as Facebook, Instagram, etc., and support it by subscribing, following and likeing.

For all of you who were involved from the early days and to Reem and Abeer, God bless you for all your efforts and my eternal gratitude for caring about those amongst us who need a helping hand to make their lives more tolerable and give them the human dignity they deserve.