Steveston dads climb Kilimanjaro
Three Lord Byng elementary school fathers reached the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro in support of the Summits of Hope fundraiser for the B.C. Children’s Hospital.
Now organizers are hoping to line up others who are ready to do the same next year for an amazing cause.
Steveston’s Gord Denhoed, vice president of the Summits of Hope, along with Don O’Toole and Dave MacNeil, whose children attend Lord Byng Elementary, made the successful climb last month.
The school raised nearly $1,000 for the B.C. Children’s Hospital, with students bringing in loose change which totaled $465.29, an amount matched by the school’s parent advisory council.
Lord Byng’s students watched the successful effort live via web updates in their classrooms, and used the climbing effort as an education tool.
The Summits of Hope was founded in 1999 by Russ Barstow, and has raised more than $2 million for the children’s hospital.
The fundraiser’s slogan, “Everyone has a mountain to climb”, means much to Barstow, whose cousin Ben was diagnosed with cancer at the age of two and succumbed three years later.
“I always think of Ben when I climb. Ben’s attitude as he battled cancer taught me how to triumph through adversity. He was the toughest person I ever met,” he said.
Barstow’s dream is to have a national organization that raises funds to help children like his cousin Ben.
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