Having always told his clients and students to push themselves beyond the limits, Mr Lawrence walked his talk by trekking 249.4km across Sahara Desert late last month. -- ST PHOTO: AIDAH RAUF

LIFE coach Thaddeus Lawrence, 36, had the faces of students from low-income families constantly on his mind as he trekked 249.4km across Sahara Desert late last month.

'Many of these kids lead hard lives. They wake up at 4am to help their parents prepare for the day's business at a hawker stall and then hurry to school - some were regularly late and punished. If they can endure the distance, what is 249.4km?' the former teacher said.

Wanting these children from low-income families to benefit from his adventure, he decided on The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund as the beneficiary of his fund-raising adventure.

'I started out asking for 50 cents for every 1km for the first 100km, $2 for the second 100km, and $5 for the rest,' Mr Lawrence said.

'But I changed my tack and went around asking people to support a child on the School Pocket Money Fund for a year, and that took off rather well.'

He single-handedly raised $60,000 - $40,000 in cash donations and the rest in pledges.

'I am keeping my fingers crossed that people honour their pledges,' he said.

Although shy of his original $250,000 target, Mr Lawrence felt the experience was worth it, if only to demonstrate that not only these students, but also Singaporeans in general, can achieve much.

'Crossing the Sahara Desert is no trivial matter and the people who participate in such events are of a certain calibre,' he said.

'These are highly driven people - high achievers in business, sports and life. Many were CEOs, CFOs, and managing directors. There were ultra-endurance athletes, Ironman triathletes and a polar explorer. I also met a blind man, a man who defied the odds against an illness and a 74-year-old.'

Having always told clients and students to move out of the box and push themselves beyond the limits to see how far they can go, Mr Lawrence said: 'Many people often set invisible barriers for themselves. Why? Since I tell people to break free at my workshops, I should walk my talk, hence the Sahara crossing.'

He crossed the finish line in seven days.

JUDITH TAN