Happy New Year from Amsterdam!

The Power To Climb Kilimanjaro 2010 Team wishes all of our supporters from around the world a very Happy New Year from Amsterdam, and all the best for 2010 - what will be the best year yet!!

Kilimanjaro here we come!

Christmas Day marked our last little hike before take-off for Amsterdam and then Tanzania. We went up Lone Tree Hill in the Highlands of Victoria - what a gorgeous day it was - wow! Mike and I are leaving for Amsterdam in less than 20 hrs and almost all of the Kili summit team members will meet us there before we all continue on to Moshi, Tanzania on January 1st. In fact, we'll be spending New Year's Eve in Amsterdam - yahoo! Once on our Kilimanjaro trek, we'll be posting clips and updates to our YouTube video channel and this blog so stay tuned to http://www.powertoclimb.ca/ to follow our adventure. Over $140K raised with less than $10K to go to meet our target for Power To Be! -CS

Our campaign is gaining momentum...

In exactly 16 days, we will start our trek up the highest free-standing mountain in the world. As I reflect on the challenge ahead, I feel tremendous amount of energy and excitement. It is hard to concentrate on anything other than our campaign and the climb ahead. I am itching to take off! Our campaign has also taken off – our momentum is gaining as we get closer to reaching our $150K target – donations are trickling in from all over the place and I’m super excited to report that we’ve so far raised 135,000 dollars towards Power To Be’s Lower Mainland expansion. WOOT, WOOT! Thank you to all of you who have supported us in all different ways to date. You have no idea how much this means. Onward and upward (literally). We will surpass our target! -CS

Tim Cormode speaks from the heart at Rotary Vancouver

Tim Cormode, Executive Director of Power To Be and fellow Kili climber, spoke from the heart about his organization at Tuesday's presentation for the Rotary Club of Vancouver. Over 80 business executives and community leaders were in attendance at the Terminal City Club downtown to listen to his story. Watch a short clip of his speech under our video clips on www.powertoclimb.ca or our YouTube channel.
-CS

Shean's Reflection

I could have used a program like this when I was a kid. I’m talking about the Power To Be Wilderness School. I had a tough start to life. I came from an abusive family, was living on the streets of Edmonton at only 10 years of age, eating out of garbage cans, and spent a lot of time thinking that the only person I could count on was myself. I’ve been learning not to feel that way now. And this Kilimanjaro trip is helping me with this goal. My hope is that this program can teach others. I have rarely chosen an easy path in life to follow, and climbing the tallest free standing mountain in the world is no exception.

Why did I choose Power To Be over other worthwhile charities? Because I believe we need more organizations that look after our own children. A local charity was important to me. I first encountered Tim, Executive Director of Power To Be, at the corporate challenge event called Power To Play put on annually by the Society. I was invited to put together a team from my demolition company, and was then roped into volunteering to set up a course. It was that Saturday in spring 2009 that I met Tim. Tim introduced the Power To Climb project spearheaded by volunteers Mike and Chantal Schauch and for me, it was the perfect timing. Kilimanjaro has been a 30-year dream that started in front of a black and white TV set where I saw a picture of the mountain for the very first time. There was something unmistakable in the television announcer’s voice as he described the mountain - a remarkable passion. At that moment I fell in love with the mountain. At the time I was dead broke and didn’t know how I was ever going to get there, but I just refused to let go of the dream.

Eight years ago when I was diagnosed with lung cancer, I reinforced the promise to myself to realize my dream of climbing Mt Kilimanjaro. I didn’t entirely believe at the time I would be able to climb because my cancer was stage four, and for those who have faced cancer know, this is the stage where doctors tell you that you are likely to die. But I overcame the cancer and ended up meeting Tim that fateful day at the Vancouver Island Technology Park. Tim offered a perfect situation to climb Kilimanjaro. The summit day will be my 8th year since diagnosed with cancer. It will mean a lot to stand on the top of the world with my fellow summit team members – I cannot even start telling you! I know we will all make it.
-Shean

Power To Be Christmas Party and Kili Team Send Off at The Oyster, Victoria