The Loveall Foundation Kilimanjaro Challenge:

Climbing for the Children
Sometimes in life we confront challenges that seem insurmountable, like climbing a 19,340-foot mountain or curing a devastating disease. But history tells us that even the most daunting challenges can be successfully met if you dedicate yourself and focus on your goal.

Beginning New Year’s Day 2010 we will ascend Mt. Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak. On January 6 we plan to stand on her summit. A half a century ago, a diagnosis of Leukemia was a death sentence, but thanks to the work of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, the five-year survival rate for people with leukemia has nearly quadrupled.

With your support we can climb the tallest mountains together and help relieve the suffering of kids. One hundred percent of your contributions to the Loveall Foundation Kilimanjaro Challenge will go to the Leukemia Society, earmarked to benefit children battling leukemia.

Anything can be accomplished with enough planning, perseverance and effort.

Thank you for accepting ‘The Challenge.’

Onward and upward!





In the midst of his chemo treatments, David Timko, of the Leukemia Society, took the time to congratulate us on our efforts and pledged his support for the Kilimanjaro Challenge.

Please click below to listen to a message from David Timko:

David, you will be in our thoughts with every step we take on this climb. You are an inspiration to those who know you.

8 Days on Mt Kilimanjaro

Thursday, January 14, 2010
Now that we’re on flat ground, we’ve had some time to reflect on our adventure.

When you set out to do something, you don’t always know what you’re going to learn and who you’ll learn it from.

On our climb up Mt. Kilimanjaro, we spent 8 days learning life lessons from a young Tanzanian porter named Victor who helped us climb to the summit and back.


Despite a pair of broken-down work boots with worn out shoelaces, mismatched, ragtag layers of worn out clothes, he had an incredibly dignified presence.

He was the first one up every day, the first one working every morning and the last one working every night. Despite the grueling nature of essentially being a beast of burden, he carried 50 additional pounds of weight in a backpack, which easily was one-third of his body weight, without the hint of a complaint. He had a perpetual smile on his face in spite of the outrageously demanding conditions.

We were struck by his humility. The only time he displayed any pride at all was to inspire us and give us the strength to go on.

Day 6 began at midnight at 15,000-feet. We prepared to push for the summit, starring at the 4,000-foot vertical challenge in front of us. Victor, who usually didn’t say much, said, “By sunrise, victory will be ours.”

Those few words, from him, at that time, left us with no doubt.

We began our final ascent with Victor and our guide, Fred, a charismatic and natural leader with a flawless plan to get us to the top. Victor and Fred, along with every one of our porters, proved to us once again that nothing can be accomplished without the workers.

These are the lessons we learned:
  1. Start early.
  2. Smile and stay positive.
  3. Encourage others.
  4. Carry your own weight and help others with theirs.
  5. Be deliberate.
  6. Be the example.
  7. Dignity is the balance of pride and humility.
  8. Pain is temporary; victory is forever.
The last thing Fred said to us as we left Tanzania was “I’ll never forget you guys.” Fred and Victor, if you’re reading this, rest assured, we will never forget you either.

As Victor repeatedly said to us, “We are all together.”

And that is the bottom line.

If you haven’t already done so, please make your donation online at www.ClimbforChildren.org and make sure you “Become a Fan” of the Loveall Foundation page on Facebook.com.

Any and all support for this cause is greatly appreciated.

Thank you for accepting “The Challenge.” Onward and upward!

Greetings from the Summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro!

Wednesday, January 6, 2010
The subject line of this email has been a year in the planning.

As this email is being written to our wonderful families, friends and supporters, WE ARE STANDING ON THE HIGHEST POINT IN AFRICA, 19,340 FEET HIGH TO BE EXACT.

It is the most magnificent view we have ever seen.


What is even more incredible, humbling and fills our hearts to overflowing, is the tremendous response to the call to help children battling leukemia. Even today, as we climbed several thousand feet in the darkness of the Tanzanian night, donations were still coming in.

Please click on this link to hear from us personally from the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro:



Details of this exhilarating experience to follow; now, we begin our descent down this awesome mountain.

If you haven’t already done so, please make your donation online at www.ClimbforChildren.org and make sure you “Become a Fan” of the Loveall Foundation page on Facebook.com.

Any and all support for this cause is greatly appreciated.

Thank you for accepting “The Challenge.” Onward and upward!

Meet more children battling leukemia

Wednesday, January 6, 2010
As this email goes out, we are tucked into our sleeping bags at 15,700 feet, trying to get about 2 ½ hours’ sleep before we make our push for the summit. At about 7:00 p.m. PST tonight, we should be standing on the tallest point in Africa at 19,340 feet.

A special thank you to Norma Evans and John Tursky for their contributions to helping children. As we prepare to summit after a long, difficult journey, Norma is about to give birth to her first child, Jacques' niece. Our journeys have been long and challenging, but in the end, the results will be spectacular and life-changing. Thank you, Norma and John.

We are also grateful to loyal supporters whose donations have just come in: Jay Butterfield and Bruce Both, President of UFCW Local 1500, at Trekker level, wow, thank you! Lee and Laurie Schneider and Teamsters Joint Council 7 we so appreciate your Hiker level sponsorships. To Ed West, Darin Ferguson, Al Vincent, John Mason, Linda Brown, Chuck and Diane Gephardt and Rick Crane (double time!!), you keep us grounded at Base Camp! And to Donna Rauch and Eric Brandon, we couldn’t do what we’re doing without our Sherpas: Thank you, all!!

Below is another inspiring story of a child who is winning the fight against blood cancer. We never forget that we are climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, Africa’s tallest peak, for her and other children like her!


Lauren was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia at age 2 ½. Over the next two years she underwent two bone marrow transplants.

Four years after Lauren’s second transplant, her mother says: “I think she is a miracle… Now she is a beautiful 8-year-old third grader… Outside of her being smaller than her peers, no one would ever guess she had been sick.”

For Lauren, and for the sake of other children like her, we hope you will become a generous supporter of “The Challenge.” If you haven’t already done so, please make your donation online at www.ClimbforChildren.org and make sure you “Become a Fan” of the Loveall Foundation page on Facebook.com.

Any and all support for this cause is greatly appreciated.

Thank you for accepting “The Challenge.” Onward and upward!

Heat and hail

Tuesday, January 5, 2009
We’re sending this update as we go to sleep for the last full night of rest before the summit attempt.

Today we scaled the sheer Barranco Wall, navigating lava flows and descending and ascending three valleys until we reached Karanga Camp.

Through it all we endured extreme heat and then hail stones. If you don't like the weather here, just wait five minutes!

Karanga Camp sits in the shadow of the summit and overlooks the town of Moshi, 12,850 feet below. Tomorrow, we will climb to 15,700 feet, just above Barafu Camp. We’ll then try to sleep early in the afternoon, as we plan to make our attempt on the summit at midnight.

If everything goes as planned, we will be on Uhuru Peak, at 19,340 feet, by 6 a.m. on Jan. 7. That will be 7 p.m. PST on Jan. 6.

A special thanks to Brian and Wendy Rathjen for their Trekker level sponsorship and to Scott Hamilton for his additional Hiker level sponsorship; you are with us in spirit!

We all feel strong and motivated!

Onward and upward!

Our Inspiration

Tuesday, January 5, 2009
Last month we sent you a link to a message from David Timko, who has dedicated his life to supporting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

David is experiencing a relapse of his own cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy. We are inspired by his incredibly positive attitude and his focus on the needs of other people as we strive to overcome our own, temporary, challenges.

Here’s what David wrote to us recently:

“I am honored to serve you, and your effort, as a symbol of one who is currently facing my own challenge and scaling my own mountain in fighting my recurrence of lymphoma.

“… When you are scaling the summit, it will (hopefully) be my last chemo treatment. It will be a challenging week for us all. I know we will be successful in our endeavors …

“I had chemo No. 4 yesterday... four and a half hours of ‘Kilimanjaro Joy Juice’ and am feeling a bit out of sorts today, but ... I am at the office and doing all I can to ‘move the bar’ for all of our patients and their families.”

“Please know how much I appreciate your efforts and the generosity of your supporters.

“God speed and God bless.”

A special “thank you” goes to the individual and Sherpa-level sponsors of our efforts:

Cindy Sarmento, Thomas Hynes, Michele Kessler, Tera Clizbe, Claudia Ontiveros, Kevin Williamson, Starr Shiffler, Margie Fossi, Lori Allen, Rick Glazer, Nicole Allen, Mike Botica, Dave Wilson, Sandy Samoville, Liz Rivinius, Jessica Golling, Kimberly Carlton, Shelly Ramont, John Johantgen, Joe Ciotti, Sandy Mitchell, Tim Plank, Karen Eisenhofer, Jared Karakas, Mary Simonson, Wendy King, John and Lezlie Micheletti.

If you haven’t already done so, please make your donation online at www.ClimbforChildren.org and make sure you “Become a Fan” of the Loveall Foundation page on Facebook.com.

Any and all support for this cause is greatly appreciated.

Thank you for accepting “The Challenge.” Onward and upward!

Are we there yet?!?!?!

Tuesday, January 5, 2010
We are sitting above the clouds at Barranco Camp at sunrise. In about two hours we will begin our ascent up the Baccanco Wall, the steepest grade on the climb, before descending again. We will climb high and then sleep low each day until we reach the top.

We've had views that look like scenes from “Out of Africa,” “Dune,” “Land of the Lost” and “The Eiger Sanction.”

We’ve all had vivid dreams. I don’t even want to talk about going five days without a shower. Yikes!

Fortunately, we have our friends on the ground who keep us focused on the good things resulting from this project — friends like the folks at TCW/Crescent, who have donated at the Summit level. To the three Marks — Mark DeVincentis, Mark Attanasio and Jean Marc Chapus — thank you for stepping up!

If you haven’t already done so, please make your donation online at www.ClimbforChildren.org and make sure you “ Become a Fan ” of the Loveall Foundation page on Facebook.com .

Any and all support for this cause is greatly appreciated.

Thank you for accepting “The Challenge.” Onward and upward!

Ashen Brothers Embrace the Challenge

Monday, January 4, 2010
The Ashen brothers — Mike, Ed and Chuck — know the drill. They are digging deep into their pockets on behalf of the Loveall Foundation for Children Kilimanjaro Challenge.

The Ashens have become Climber sponsors of our expedition to climb Africa’s tallest mountain to benefit children fighting leukemia. That’s our “crowning” category of sponsorship.

Our thanks go the Ashens. We had a filling they would come through!

A big thank you to a few new Hiker level sponsors who really came through for the children: Bill Twitchell, F.A.I.R., RWDSU, and UFCW Local 400. Thanks to all of you!


If you haven’t already done so, please make your donation online at www.ClimbforChildren.org and make sure you “Become a Fan” of the Loveall Foundation page on Facebook.com.

Any and all support for this cause is greatly appreciated.

Thank you for accepting “The Challenge.” Onward and upward!

The views are enough to make your head spin...

Monday, January 4, 2010
Each day the views are more breathtaking, and not just because the air is thinner with every passing hour!

Today we climbed to 14,700 feet. That is higher than any mountain peak in the continental United States! We then descended to 12,800 feet to camp for the night at the Barranco Camp.

We experienced slight destabilization at 14,700 feet, feeling a bit lightheaded and experiencing headaches. Our team leader, Tanzanian Fredrick Martin, says this is typical and we are "Poa-Kama Tonga." That's Swahili for “cool like a cucumber.”


While we are very tired, we are doing well overall. This is hard!

If you haven’t already done so, please make your donation online at www.ClimbforChildren.org and make sure you “Become a Fan” of

the Loveall Foundation page on Facebook.com. Any and all support for this cause is greatly appreciated.

Thank you for accepting “The Challenge.” Onward and upward!

We're 'kicking back' at 12,600 feet!

Sunday, January 3, 2010
Today’s report comes direct via satellite phone from Shira Camp 2 on the Shira Plateau at 12,600 feet. The 365-degree views are breathtaking, including the unobstructed view of the peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro 6,740 feet away.

This plateau is actually a caldera, a collapsed volcanic crater, the remains of the first of Kilimanjaro’s three volcanoes to erupt, around 500,000 years ago; it was then filled by the lava and debris from the later Kibo volcano’s eruption.

Today we began our day at 11,300 feet and climbed to the camp at 12,600. It’s a day of rest, recharging and acclimating to the thinning air in the higher altitude. It’s been raining and hailing so it’s also a time for our gear to dry out!

Tomorrow we head up to 15,100 feet to acclimate even further and then we hike back down to a camp at 13,000 feet to sleep. Climbing the next 6,740 feet to the summit will be extraordinary in every way.

Our days and nights have been hard and challenging but we are up to the task and are pressing on.

What drives us forward is the knowledge of the impact you and our generous supporters will have on the lives of an increasing number of sick children. A special thanks to Chad Young and all of the locals in UFCW Region 5 for their Summit Level sponsorship; Chad, it’s generosity like yours that keeps us going.

If you haven’t already done so, please make your donation online at www.ClimbforChildren.org and make sure you “Become a Fan” of the Loveall Foundation page on Facebook.com.

Onward and upward!

The first two days or our climb

Saturday, January 2, 2010
Our Planned Route:
We are ascending Mt Kilimanjaro via the Lemosho Route, it is one of the newer routes on the mountain. Lemosho is considered the most scenic route on Kilimanjaro, and grants panoramic vistas on various sides of the mountain.

It is our preferred route due to its ideal balance of low traffic, beautiful scenery and a high summit success rate. The route approaches Mount Kilimanjaro from the west, beginning with a long drive from Moshi to the Londorossi Gate.

From there, the first two days are spent trekking through the rainforest to Shira Ridge.

The Lemosho Route crosses the entirety of the plain from west to east. We anticipate encountering low traffic until the route joins the Machame Route. Afterwards, Lemosho follows the same route through Lava Tower, Barranco and Barafu, known as the southern circuit. Descent will be made via the Mweka Route.

Our Experience:
DAY 1:
‘Always plan for the unexpected’

We started Day 1 by driving via truck from the town of Moshi to the Londorossi Gate (elevation of 7,742 feet) of the Kilimanjaro National Park to begin our trek to the summit.

It began to rain….HEAVILY. The truck got stuck and could not carry us to the designated Start Point of our climb.

We unloaded in the torrential down pour and walked an extra three miles in the rain (thus starting our climb closer to around 4,500 feet elevation), uphill and against numerous mud slides to reach our destination of Big Tree Camp at 9,498 feet elevation.

We arrived at Big Tree Camp, under the canopy of the very tropical jungle, in the dark, completely soaked and thoroughly exhausted. To our surprise and grateful relief, our guides had walked ahead to begin setting up camp and a hot meal was waiting for us as we arrived.

Day 2: ‘The vistas are breathtaking’

The climbing is rigorous. We begin at our first camp of Big Tree and hiked up to Shira 1 Camp at 11,500 feet elevation.

Motivated to do our best, we actually surpass our camp elevation to go onto 11,800 feet elevation just because we could.

As we move in and out of the jungle, the views are incredible.

It is still raining today (not as heavily as yesterday, but wet none-the-less). Did you know that it does ‘hail’ in the jungle? That was a surprise and unbelievable encounter!

We end Day 2 at Shira 1 Camp with a wonderful hot meal provided by our guides. The meals prepared by our guides are very good and plentiful.

We are told the climb tomorrow is a less intense day, and we can see our next camp, Shira 2 Camp, from our current position.

Since arriving in Tanzania, the local people that we have met are very friendly and enjoy a wonderful sense of humor.

Our head guide is a man named Frederick. He is shorter and slender in stature and says that he has been up and down Mt. Kilimanjaro about 60 times since taking up this line of work.

As we continue our journey to the summit, we are ever mindful and personally motivated by the struggles, the discomforts and the desire to overcome that children with illness fight everyday of their life. Our own discomforts and struggles are minimized as we carry with us thoughts of these children, and what your support to this Challenge will ultimately do to help them. We humbly thank all those who have so generously donated and urge you to continue broadcasting this event to encourage others to take up the challenge to fight children's leukemia.

We will check in again tomorrow with more from our adventure.

If you haven’t already done so, please make your donation online at www.ClimbforChildren.org and make sure you “Become a Fan” of the Loveall Foundation page on Facebook.com.

Onward and upward!

We've left base camp

Friday, January 1, 2010
Last night was our last slumber in a real bed, with a roof over our heads, for the next 8 days. In a few moments, we begin our 19,340-foot trek up Mt. Kilimanjaro for the Loveall Foundation for Children Kilimanjaro Challenge.

The pledges are still rolling in! Today we are pleased to report that UFCW Local 1776 has come in with a Climber-level sponsorship and the folks at New England Pension Consultants have come through with two Trekker level sponsorships. Thank you, Wendell Young and John Elliott, on behalf of the kids whose lives will be better because of your generosity.

A veiw of Mount Kilimanjaro just hours before our ascent

As we leave base camp today, we would also like to recognize the amazing support of our Base Camp level sponsors:

Ron Lind, Christine Galves, Rob and Meryle Galloway, Leslie Bouchard, Scott Taylor, John Elliott, Chris Wallace, Linda Wyman, Gilbert Luna, Martin Lugo, Terri Kiehlmeier, Fatima and Carlos Valenzuela, Paul Supat, Jay Trumbull, Steve Bodine, Steve Trujillo, Sheryl Percell, Rick Salton, Fred Pepper, John Heise, Bea Medinas, Art Cobian, Mike Fursman, Loel Yerion, Patti Brown, Raymond Kristoff, Tom Pate, Paul Lowney, Mike Perrin, Cori Higley, Evelyn Orley, Ken Farrar, Larry Plumb, Clark Koertner, Carol Evans, Roger Adair, Patti Chiara and Ameriprise Advisor Services.

Our next reports will be called in from our satellite phone to keep you posted on the change in atmosphere, among other things. Stay tuned!

If you haven’t already done so, please make your donation online at www.ClimbforChildren.org and make sure you “Become a Fan” of the Loveall Foundation page on Facebook.com.

Any and all support for this cause is greatly appreciated.

Thank you for accepting “The Challenge.” Onward and upward!

Information From the Trail

Downloads
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The Climbers
Jacques Loveall
Jacques
Loveall
Lee
Schreiter
Lee Schreiter
David Knoll David
Knoll
Kilimanjaro Facts
  • The Loveall Foundation Kilimanjaro Challenge will last 8 days.
  • At 19,340 ft, Mt. Kilimanjaro, in Tanzania, is the tallest in Africa and the world’s highest free-standing mountain.
  • Kilimanjaro supports five ecozones: rainforest, heath, moorland, alpine desert and glaciers.
  • It is composed of 3 volcanoes: Kibo (19,340 ft), Mawenzi (16,896 ft), and Shira (13,000 ft).
  • From the summit, you see three countries: Tanzania, Kenya and Congo.
  • “kili” has inspired people around the world as a place of spiritual, and personal renewal.
  • The "Snows of Kilimanjaro" are melting so fast they could be gone within two decades. scientists blame global warming.
  • Accept the Challenge!


    Make a donation today!

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    Contact Us

    mail to:
    Loveall Foundation for Children
    4120 Douglas Blvd. #306-256
    Granite Bay, CA 95746
    Tax ID #: 68-0435070
    (916)773-KIDS
    kilimanjarochallenge
        @loveallfoundation.org