Community Corner

Libertyville Residents Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro for Charity

"I can't think of a better reason to climb Kilimanjaro than for the children," said Dave Braun.

Dave Braun has been to Tanzania, Africa four times to help build a school for underprivileged children, but none of those trips have involved tackling Mt. Kilimanjaro.

Until now.

Braun, father/son team Dan and Brian Coughlin, Bill Sparer, Jonathan Grote, and Erika Bauschke will leave for Tanzania on June 1 with the goal of climbing Africa's tallest mountain for charity. They'll be raising money for the Mailisita Foundation.

"Every time I'm over there I marvel at the majesty of Mt. Kilimanjaro, and several of us have talked about climbing it over the past couple years," said Braun.

The six Libertyville residents—most of whom are members of St. Joseph Catholic Church—were looking at ways to raise money for the Moshi, Tanzania school. Dan Coughlin said it all started with Father Val, who was a priest at St. Joe's for a decade and recently retired. Father Val used to work in Tanzania, and his brother is a priest there, said Coughlin.

"Some folks went over on an exploratory mission and he said, 'What we really need is a school,'" said Coughlin.

What started as a one-room school house now has space for 250 children in kindergarten through fourth grade, Coughlin said. The Mailisita Foundation operates the school.

"We provide their main meal, their uniform and their education," said Coughlin. "That creates the stability and gives the kids the opportunity to progress. It has been a cool project."

He and his son made their first trip to Tanzania five years ago to help the Mailisita Foundation.

"The mountain just looms large right in front of you. We've always said, 'One of these days we're going to climb it.' So here we go," said Coughlin.

In looking for ways to raise awareness—and funds—for the school, Coughlin said he, his son and the four other members of the team decided to do a charity climb. They'll also be building two new classrooms and staying in a recently-constructed guest house at the site. Proceeds from the guest house help fund the school.

"It's just creating awareness and positive cash flow," said Coughlin.

Climbing the Mountain

"The mountain is going to be a challenge," said Coughlin. "I've never climbed a mountain before. This is a physical reminder of the challenges these kids face every day. We'll just hold those kids up and use them as our motivator."

Team member Jonathan Grote said he has climbed a mountains in places like New Mexico and Colorado, including one at the Philmont Scout Ranch that stands at 12,000 to 13,000 feet.

"At least I know what it's like to be that high," said Grote. "But I certainly don't know what 19,000 feet will be like."

Mt. Kilimanjaro is about 19,341 feet tall.

A lover of the outdoors, Grote said he has been preparing for this trip by taking long walks, including a 12-mile trek from his Libertyville home to near Wauconda. 

"It's natural to be a little bit nervous about doing something one has never done before, but we're going with a good outfitter and we all know each other so we'll be supporting each other along the way," said Braun. "None of us has done any major climbing such as this before, so we've been busy training and trying to prepare as well as possible given the flat terrain we live in here in the Libertyville area."

They are slated to summit the mountain on June 9.

Helping Children

What's most important, team members said, is helping the children in Moshi, Tanzania.

"These children are at such a disadvantage, having lost one or both of their parents and living in such impoverished conditions," said Braun. "We're giving them a chance to break the bonds of poverty and an opportunity for a better life in the face of all the hardships they've had to endure. Our Catholic faith calls us to serve others and share our gifts as Christ did and continues to do through His followers. I can't think of a better reason to climb Kilimanjaro than for the children."

So far, the team has raised more than $16,000, Braun said.

"This is going to be my first time over there, so I'm really excited to meet the children," said Grote. "Of course I know they don't speak English, but it'll still be a really cool interaction."

He plans to tell the St. Joe's Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts about the trip when he returns.

To support the charity climb, visit http://www.etripafrica.com/#/mailisita_cc_climbers/ or the Mailisita Foundation website.


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