Miles and Smiles: The Ride that Tied Richard and George

Sometimes, connection begins long before two people ever meet.

For Richard, it started on a bike, somewhere between long kilometres, aching legs, and the quiet resolve that comes when you commit to something bigger than yourself. When he signed up for a Hands Across the Water ride, he was given a small card - a photo and a short story of a child waiting at the finish line. That child was George.

At just two years old, George became Richard’s silent companion on the road. On the hardest days of the ride, when exhaustion crept in and giving up would have been easier, George was the reason Richard kept going.

As Richard later shared:

“What George doesn’t yet realise, is that he got me through some of the toughest days on the ride. He was the reason I was on that bike, on that day. I wasn’t giving up on that young lad.”

Eight days later, Richard rode into the home where George lives. Though chicken pox meant they couldn’t get close, the moment was deeply emotional. For Richard, sponsoring George wasn’t a decision to weigh up, it was a next step that was clearly meant to be, in a connection already formed.

George’s photo now sits in their home. Conversations about him often surface within the family, opening new perspectives and reminding everyone what matters most.

A Life Raised on Kindness

George came to Baan Tharn Namchai when he was just two months old. His early life was marked by instability and circumstances no child should face. Today, at 3 years and 5 months old, he is a bright, cheerful little boy in kindergarten, known for his big smile, polite nature, and love of running around and playing in the ball pit. He is safe. He is learning. He is surrounded by care.

When asked what his sponsor means to him, George’s words are simple and powerful in their innocence:

“My sponsor gives me milk, healthy food, a safe home, and helps me learn and play.”

Richard often reflects that the ride gave him far more than he ever expected. Yet he makes sure to emphasise that this story is not about him.. It is about George, and all the children in the Hands family, being given the chance to grow up safe, loved, and hopeful.

Their story tells us that care and kindness can travel far, linking two lives together - across countries, across experiences, and across generations.

This Christmas, we celebrate the bonds between sponsor and child — and the lifelong impact it brings to both. If you’d like to see for yourself how rewarding this type of sponsorship can be, for just $110 a month, we can help make that happen.