Kilimanjaro Education Foundation Featured In Colin Nanka's Climb Documentary
NEW YORK, August 10, 2009 /PRNewswire/ – When Colin Nanka was planning his climb of Mt. Kilimanjaro, he had a lot of things on his mind but producing a documentary was not one of them.
In addition to the nearly $5,000 he raised for the Kilimanjaro Education Foundation (KEF), Nanka has just that -a lasting memory of the climb including footage of a school being helped directly by the funds he raised on behalf of KEF. View a three-minute preview of Nanka's documentary at http://thesocialcommunity.com/?p=240.
"The work that KEF is doing is amazing," said Nanka, after visiting a school in Tanzania where restrooms were being built thanks in part to his fundraising efforts. "KEF has made a massive impact in the community, preventing local schools from being closed down, rebuilding others and looking to build new ones. Some children walk 90 minutes just to get to those schools and without them, they would surely not get an education."
Nanka climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in his first visit to Africa, achieving what roughly 30 percent of climbers never do – reaching the summit – documented in his film in dramatic fashion.
"The climb was truly amazing," said Nanka. "I had been looking at tackling this one for about three years and it was a strenuous climb over 55 miles of terrain and 14,000 vertical feet of climbing."
Nanka likened the trek to walking from the Equator to the North Pole in only one week. He credited his success to his fellow hikers and his guides from Thomson Treks and Safaris of Watertown, MA.
"You learn early on to respect the mountain and the elements as you can fall victim to stomach and altitude sickness quickly," he said. "It was more of a mental challenge than a physical one and you needed to push yourself past limits you had not crossed before "
Nanka decided to produce the documentary after seeing a friend's piece on an Iron Man competition and he connected with their friend and producer, Allison Ballantyne, who also produced Nanka's film.
"It took many people to make this film. My fellow trekkers were great subjects and my guide was amazing," he said. "He really gave us a lot of great footage and a local perspective for the climb."
About Colin Nanka: Colin Nanka has worked in the Technology industry for the past 12 years, covering West and Central Canada and most recently New York City. A graduate of University of Alberta in Edmonton Canada, Nanka began his career working for Xerox Corporation in Edmonton moving to Toronto in 2003. He has an extensive background in sales and marketing covering many different assignments in product management, product marketing, sales training and direct sales. In 2005, Nanka joined Salesforce.com, the world's leading on demand customer relationship management company and is proud to be a part of the Salesforce.com Foundation Sub Committee in Toronto (www.salesforcefoundation.org/), who's philanthropy model makes a huge difference in the lives of people worldwide. Colin's blog at www.thesocialcommunity.com chronicles his passion for learning from others and helping readers find their inspiration and purpose.
About Kilimanjaro Education Foundation: Kilimanjaro Education Foundation (KEF), founded in 2006 by Todd Grossman, is incorporated in New York State and organized as a 501(c)(3). In November 2008, KEF was featured on the Today show's "Ends Of The Earth Series." KEF strives to improve education and to build school facilities for underprivileged children in Tanzania and other countries bordering Kilimanjaro. KEF's volunteers and directors share in and impart not only the Foundation's passion for children and education, but also in KEF's core values of honesty, integrity, creativity and imagination.
