PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Reaching new heights to help guide youth in Philadelphia and South Jersey, 19 mentors from Big Brothers Big Sisters Independence recently climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania — and brought back life lessons for the kids to take with them.
Big Brothers Big Sisters Independence CEO Marcus Allen says the mentors trained, read all the brochures, studied and did everything they needed to do to prepare for the early December trip. But he admitted that just like in life, it’s not possible to completely prepare for such an adventure.
It took eight long days and five different climate zones, from the bottom all the way to the top of the mountain. “Ultimately, this is really 53 miles of climbing and trekking. It is a huge toll on the body, but the biggest toll is the altitude,” Allen said.
That altitude is well over 19,000 feet. “It feels like you can't breathe, you're dizzy,” Allen described. “You're kind of losing your balance because you know, the nausea. It really was a much more difficult task than I thought it would be.”
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Allen says it was a long and draining journey, but all 19 climbers made it to the top. He says it was worth it for the kids, as the money they raised from the climb — about 96% of their $500,000 goal — will allow 300 young people to come off of their waiting list for mentorship programs.
The CEO says among the lessons they learned along the way were the need for help from others to be successful, and to be cognizant of the relationships we develop as we climb.
“The depth and the strength of your relationships are going to be an indicator of how successful you can be along your journey,” said Allen.
Those lessons, he notes, can be applied to the organization’s mission: “We are helping kids in a similar fashion, who are trying to traverse their mountains in their lives.”