In 2011, with the support of my husband and family, I joined the Dream Mountains Foundation and trekked to the top of Kilimanjaro in Africa. With the added and amazing support of my small community, I was able to raise almost $12,000 for Habitat For Humanity Muskoka. Not only did I have the time of my life fundraising and trekking to the top of Africa, but I was honored to have been involved in the ground breaking ceremony of the home that I helped to fund. During that ceremony, I witnessed two families both close to my heart, realize their own dream, a home of their own. I am now embarking on a new adventure to Nepal and realize a dream of mine! In April of 2015, I will be trekking to Base Camp Everest with Dream Mountains Foundation again for another great charity that is close to my heart for other reasons.
This time I will be climbing for Dreams Take Flight, a national volunteer charitable organization dedicated to providing the trip of a lifetime to physically, mentally or socially challenged children across Canada. With my 10 yr old nephew battling cancer for the second time, and a dear friend of mine struggling with a 4 yr old daughter diagnosed with Rasmussen’s Encephalitis…..it brings home how fortunate I am as a mom…..to have healthy happy children and a family that has not had to experience the pain and struggle of life with a sick or disabled child. I watch how my brother and sister-in–law try to create normalcy in a world of chaos, I see how they struggle to find positivity and happiness through days and days of pain and uncertainty. This is why I feel so strongly in my charity of choice this year. If I can raise money for ONE child to experience a day of pure joy amid a time of struggle….then every step of this climb will be worth it!
As I prepare for this climb, please support me by making a donation today and make dreams come true for children in need of a dream!
Please view our Dream Mountains 2011 Kilimanjaro climb at this link:
http://garrytutte.com/Projects-item/dream-mountains-kilimanjaro/
Please also view Didi’s story at the following link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4mhbtHj7Ow
