Kilimanjaro for The Kids

There seems to be a great deal of talk these days about checking things off one's bucket list.  I have a bucket list, but I can honestly say that climbing Mt Kilimanjaro was not on it -but making a difference is.  So when the opportunity arose, I decided to accept the challenge, However, I felt that it should have more meaning than just some vanity trek for me to share with friends and family. This had the potential to make a difference for my favorite charity, Boys & Girls Club of Bloomington.  I’ve started a GoFndMe page to raise $19341— which is one dollar per foot of the climb to the Kilimanjaro summit. This $19341 goal represents the financial support needed to sponsor 30 kids at the Boys & Girls Club of Bloomington for one year.  I will start my trek on 2/25 and hope to tweet my progress. All funds raised will go directly to the club.
Chess Club

Why have I focused my energies on helping the Boys & Girls Club? I feel impacting the world starts at the local level. Supporting children is key to their success and this organization does an outstanding job of filling the numerous of needs that so many young people deal with daily. They do it not just with a myriad of programming choices, but first and foremost just being there for the members.  Here is the Clubs story:  
 The Boys & Girls Club of Bloomington is an organization dedicated to serving the youth in our local community. They provide camps and programs during after school hours, holiday breaks and summer time. They have three core program areas: Healthy Lifestyles, Academic Success, and Good Character & Active Citizenship.
Tutoring

Through the Clubs’  three locations they serve 450 kids per day, with more than 1,900 registered members per year. 2,600 youth are served through some form of Club programming throughout the year, which represents15% of all Monroe County youth.
 For every $1 donated to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Bloomington, $5 of benefits are generated for our community at large. (Economic Impact Study by the Kelley School of Business)

Free Transportation

By providing single parents an affordable, structured, safe and measurable program, the Club allows them to maintain employment, work longer hours, or further their education On average, Club family’s are able to generate an additional $4,300 per household in annual savings and income due to  and Club program hours that extend until 7 pm amounts to (Economic Impact Study by the Kelley School of Business.
Young Entrepreneur  Lemonade Day

Club fees for each family are only $20 per year. However, it costs roughly $650 annually to serve each child. Operation of the Boys & Girls Club relies heavily on local individual donors who provide over 70% of all Club revenue.   
Alumni testimonials recount the immeasurable value the club played in shaping their young lives and springboarding them into successful adult lives.  Over and over they state the value of having that safe and secure place to go.   PLEASE CONSIDER DONATING TO MY GOFUNDME PAGE and forwarded to your friends and family.