First Donation!

Ladies and Gentlemen, I have $220!  I can't even say that I raised the money, my AWESOME BROTHER did!  You might remember the handsome guy from an earlier post...

Carl, me, and Vedasto at Vedasto's home in Arusha, 2008

Carl and I at the Usa River Campus grand opening, School of St. Jude, 2008

The minute I told Carl I would be doing 3 Peaks 3 Weeks he was right on board.  Both of my previous trips to Africa have been with my family, so my bro knows first hand what a difference we can make by being supportive of existing success stories like The School of St. Jude. 

Here's how Carl raised $220.  I tell this story because it is a bit unconventional.  He's a Senior at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota (read: cold!).  

After a December snowstorm of 18 inches!

Majoring in German and Environmental Studies, he also finds time to be a part of the Macalester Traditions, or "Trads" as they are lovingly called on campus.  The Trads are an all-male a capella group made up of students, and they wear as much plaid as they can when they sing.

Carl singing with the Trads

 The Trads have a Valentine's Day tradition: they deliver singing valentines to people, "ValenTrads". $5 for a ValenTrad but....BONUS!  $10 for a shirtless ValenTrad.  In Carl's own words: "yeah, we're kind of shameless..." but they do make more money.  They performed 51 singing valentines (I don't know how many were shirted/shirtless), and Carl convinced all the guys to give half that money to 3 Peaks 3 Weeks. 

Thank you Trads!

Awesome!  If 12 poor, shirtless, college boys can raise $220, how much more can us clothed, working people collect?  Thanks Carl for setting the bar high!  You're the greatest.

1st Conference Call with the Crew!

    For lack of a better term, conference calls are bizarre.  You can't see the people you're talking to, you're not sure when to jump in and say something, you never really know how long they are going to last. Yesterday was the first call I got to be on with my expedition team.  We're ladies from all over the world, so I was on the phone at 2pm while others were just waking up at 6 am, and some folks were winding down their day at 8pm.  It was really cool to hear what's going on with the PEAKS FOUNDATION (more on this soon!) and how everyone is coming with their fundraising.

 

I wonder if the can phone was invented before AG Bell invented the real thing?

   I always find myself trying to figure out what other people are doing while on the call.  Lunch break? Driving to a meeting somewhere? Eating dinner? Watching TV?  You never know. Personally, I was in my email trying to match voices with names and places while trying to got down as much information as possible.  And I did venture over to ESPN.com a few times...to check on really important things.  Like who is airing the Arsenal vs. Barcelona game today (Fox Soccer, if you care to watch).  What can I say, I'm a good multi-tasker.

Prediction: Messi gets dirty and assists/scores

    All important soccer games aside, I learned a lot about the people I'll be trekking with in East Africa.  I can hear the passion in their voices when they talk about why they want to climb. The curiosity when they ask questions about conquering 3 mountains.  Hopefulness when they talk about the people and causes that the money we raise will go to support. Commitment when they discuss fundraising ideas.  While I might not meet them in person until January 2012 in a Kenyan airport, I already know I have a stellar group of women to train alongside and collaborate with for the next year.

Endnote: Never ever ever EVER image search for the word "bizarre" on Google.  Too many weird/creepy things show up. Lesson learned.

Cause Spotlight: Laikipia Wildlife Forum

  
The Laikipia Wildlife Forum (LWF) is one of the 3 organizations that the 3P3W climb will support.  Located in the Laikipia region of Kenya, LWF does great things for the animals (and people!) of that area.  The organization was founded in 1992, so they have 18 years of experience working with the people of Kenya.  Here is an excerpt from their website, and a bit more about LWF:

    The welfare of people throughout Laikipia is inextricably bound up with the health and productivity of natural environments.  Water, forests, rangelands for grazing and other key resources are all at a premium.  Wildlife, in forming the basis of an expanding and economically important tourism industry, has become a critical resource.  The LWF is holistic in its approach to conservation- recognizing the inter-dependence of people and wildlife, and pursuing an integrated strategy of benefit to both the people and the wildlife, while safeguarding the precious natural resources on which both depend.

 

Hey Elephants!

Some things LWF does:

•  Environmental Education
• Water and Forest Management
• Tourism Development
• Wildlife Conservation
• Rangeland Rehabilitation and Management

Bottom line: Laikipia Wildlife Forum is all about preserving Kenya's great natural resources for all of it's inhabitants, which makes it stand out amongst other similar organizations.

Visit their website for more information!----> Laikipia Wildlife Forum

2011 Climb team completes Trek!

The 2011 3 Peaks 3 Weeks climb team Summited Mt. Kilimanjaro on January 29, 2011.  Congratulations to the ladies who completed the challenge!  Not only did they make it up all 3 peaks, but they also raised $91,000 for some amazing East African organizations.  I think I need to start training...

 

 Standing on the Roof of Africa!!

Here's an Excerpt from the 3P3W blog about the final ascent up Kili:

    "...Summit night on Kilimanjaro proved to be some of the hardest hours of our lives. The temperature was estimated to be -5C (~23F) with winds from 30-40mph and gusts close to 60mph. Personally, I’ve never been so cold in my entire life, and the wind was relentless. Finally, the sun came up, and the view was unbelievable. However, it only gave little relief from the cold as the wind pounded on.
    We all struggled, at one time or another. But when one of us faltered, another one was there to support. Our guides were amazing, providing not only constant watch for any signs of illness, but also encouragement through simple pats on the back or beautiful African songs. How they can climb and sing is beyond me.
    At approximately 9:45am, we reached the Roof of Africa (5,895m). Tears and hugs were abundant. Not only did the decision to leave later in the morning allow us to have some relief from the cold, but it also gave us a completely empty summit, with no other climbers to compete with for photos. It was a surreal moment. Many of us had this summit in mind for years, and it was finally in front of our faces. The glaciers were breathtaking, and looking down on the clouds is a feeling like no other. We had done it. We had climbed three of the highest peaks in Africa and done so in three weeks. Sitting here now, I can hardly explain the feeling of accomplishment and gratitude for making it to the top safely. It is a feeling that rocked our world."

Congratulations 2011 Climbers!  See you next year Kili...

Tanzania, Tanzania!

Top 10 Reasons Skarbs cares about Tanzania:

10.They have really cool animals. Lions, porcupines, zebra, hippos, flamingos, cheetahs, warthogs, I could go on.

Elephants!

9. The people there really, really, really, enjoy their soccer. As do I.

Kids with their soccer ball made of plastic bags and string.

8. Ugali. Only the best way to eat cornmeal mush. Actually tasty.

Me in the dining hall with boarding students at St. Jude.

7. The Masai people.  For the most part, they still live off the land, and have amazing respect for the animals and environment of their country.

6. Trees. Who doesn't love a good Acacia tree?

 

Or Baobab with Acacias?

5. Swahili is a very cool language. "Jambo! Habari?"  Simba is Swahili for lion, and rafiki is swahili for friend. Lion king got some African stuff right!

4. I've been there.  Seen the places and the animals. Met the people. Eaten the food.  You understand and appreciate so much more about a place just by being there, observing, and interacting with folks.

3. Vedasto and his family. Vedasto is a student in Standard 5 (5th grade) at The School of St. Jude.  My brother and I have sponsored him together for 4+years now.  We've been to class with him, and have also visited his home.  We get and send letters frequently.  He's now old enough to be a boarding student, and LOVES it!

Carl, me, and Vedasto at his home in Arusha.

2. The School of St. Jude. Amazing school I could talk about forever.

The "preps"

Classroom time.

1. The people. The people are phenomenal. Outstanding. Hard working. Caring. Optimistic. Motivated. Loving.

 Showing off some trees.

 

Bananas!

 

The kids again...I can't get Enough!

 

What is 3 Peaks 3 Weeks?!

Glad you asked.  I'll give you some brief facts, and then the websites where you can go to find out more information if you so desire.

3 Peaks 3 Weeks (3P3W) began in 2004, and Australian woman was like "cool, let's get a bunch of ladies to hike the 3 highest peaks in Africa in 3 weeks, and raise money while we do that".  They completed the hike in 2007, raising over $375,000, which is awesome!  Each year since then there has been a team climbing in January, so in 2012 I will be part of the 6th team of ladies to make the trek.  Including that first climb, 3P3W has raised almost $700,000 dollars for the 3 peak issues in East Africa.  That's a lot of dough, change, cash, moolah, bling, going to great causes.  The sweet thing is that this money is being given to organizations that have been operating in East Africa for a WHILE, and have had massive SUCCESS.  So this money is working hard. And getting results.

 See? Money will work if it goes to the right places!

So, in short, I (we) are not climbing just to say "yeah, Kilimanjaro...I climbed that."  We're climbing for a greater cause than personal glory; we're climbing to give back to the world we live in.  Even though I'm not from Africa, and I don't live in Africa, and I could honestly probably ignore Africa if I wanted to, God has given me a great love for all people.  I'm so glad for that.  I believe that every person deserves to have their physical needs taken care of, and has the right to pursue education and self betterment (is that a word?) if they chose to do so.  We take a lot of stuff for granted here in the US (me included), so preparing for this climb will be a great every day reminder to me that I'm no more special than any other stellar person that's been placed on this planet.  We've got resources people. And I'm not just talking money.  I'm talking health, time, family, positive attitudes, safe homes, friends, jobs, education...let's put these things to good use! 

Kilimanjaro...19,341 feet.  Highest freestanding mountain in the world. Booyah.

Websites:

• www.3Peaks3Weeks.org
• The official home page...with all sorts of good info!
• www.3Peaks3Weeks.com
• The 2011 climb is happening right now!  Check in for updates!

Going to Africa!

    Hello Everyone!  Welcome to my blog where I'll be keeping you peoples up to date on my training and fundraising for 3 Peaks 3 Weeks.  I fund raise and train in 2011, and climb in January of 2012!

    I'll go into more detail in future posts, but I will be part of an all women's climbing group hiking the 3 highest peaks in Africa (Mt. Kenya, Mt. Meru, and of course, Mt. Kilimanjaro) to raise money for the "3 peak issues" in East Africa:

• Education
• Health
• Environment

    To start with, check out my application video that I submitted to get accepted for the climb. For the first minute I had to pretend I was trying to convince the CEO of North Face to support our team, and the second minute I had to list 3 adjectives to describe myself. 

 

    Many thanks to Kate and Meg for filming me, my awesome neighbor Nick for making a guest appearance, and MEESH! for editing the video like a pro.  Meesh, roomie, friend, you are the bomb (Da bomb?)!  More updates later, but I'm so excited for this opportunity to raise money for awesome people in Tanzania and Kenya.