Help Me Fundraise For Nepal

On June 27^th I’ll race the San Juan Solstice 50 mile run. It’s set in the spectacular San Juan mountains in SW Colorado and has 13,000’ of elevation gain (and loss). The entire route is 9,000’ and higher, with about 15 miles above 12,000’. 

If you’d like to sponsor my efforts, please donate to the TheJuniperFund.org. Please make sure to write “Trek8848” in the “In Honor Of” box to ensure donations go to the correct families. You can also put "John Danese" in the Fundraising Support field.

80% of all funds will go to aid the families of three of the men (Pasang Temba, Kumar and Tenzing) who died in the first avalanche at Everest basecamp. Pasang Temba leaves behind 3 children, Kumar leaves behind 4 children, and Tenzing leaves behind 2 children. The funds will provide living expenses for the families for 5 years, and it will provide monies for all their children to complete schooling. The remaining 20% will go to the fund at large, which primarily supports the families of local workers involved in climbing and expedition support in the high mountains of Nepal who have been killed or injured in the course of their work. They have little, if any, safety net. Every little bit can help. 

On the left are Mingma (Tenzing's wife) and their 2 children. On the right is Kumar's brother.

Since this race isn’t an official fundraiser, it’s very open to however you’d like to donate. A flat amount. An amount per mile completed. An amount per 1,000 feet of elevation gain. Or any format that you can think of! Funds can be donated online today. Or pledged for and donated after my race. 

I’d like to keep a running tally of donations to date, so if you are comfortable with it, please leave a comment on this post (either anonymously or not) with your donation amount.

 

I hope you have fun following along with my race in June, and a sincere Thank You to all who are able to donate.

Please feel free to share this with anyone looking for a trustworthy way to support this cause. 

Namaste,

John

Nepal: Pangboche to Lobuche in Photos

Here’s a link to the next set of photos from our Nepal trip. Captions are on the upper right or bottom center, depending on which way you view the album. This album includes our climb of Lobuche East peak. We’ve also included a great video from the summit.

Nepal: Pangboche to Lobuche

Enjoy!

Nepal: Namche Bazaar to Pangboche in Photos

Here’s a link to the next set of photos from our Nepal trip. These are the days when the mountain views really started to open up, and we had fantastic blue sky weather to enjoy it! Captions are on the upper right or bottom center, depending on which way you view the album. We’ve also included two great videos of the scenery and a yak train.

Nepal: Namche Bazaar to Pangboche 

Enjoy!

Update on Donations

Here is a way to give funds directly to families of three men killed in the Nepal earthquake. Below is an update from our guide Rob who has setup an option within The Juniper Fund to direct funds to the families of the three members of his team (Tenzing, Kumar, Pasang Temba) killed at Everest Basecamp.

"The photo above crystalises my thoughts about what has happened here, and how we - all of us - can make some positive difference to the lives of those less fortunate than us.

The 3 figures on the left are Mingma - Tenzing Bote's wife - and their 2 children. On the right is Kumar Rai's brother. The legacy of Tenzing and Kumar (& Pasang Temba) cannot be forgotten.

Of course, our 3 families over here are just the tip of the iceberg with respect to all of the destruction and loss after the earthquake, but at least we can make a genuinely positive impact on their lives.

I have looked at all of the charitable options available, and save forming a new charity, by far and away, 'The Juniper Fund is our best option for getting money to the 3 families - as well as helping the overall mission statement of the charity.

For every donation we make, 80% will be diverted directly to the families of Pasang Temba, Kumar and Tenzing. The remaining 20% will go to the fund at large, which will also indirectly benefit them. The Funds' quest is to pay each of the involved families (those of deceased Sherpas and staff killed during climbing expeditions in the Himalayas) $3000/year for 5 consecutive years.

Obviously, our aim is to ensure that even the youngest of the children in our affected families are schooled for the entirety of their education - maybe a 13 year commitment for Kumar's youngest - but we need to start somewhere and have a safe way of getting the money to them. The Charity's founders, Dave Morton and Melissa Arnott are trusted friends and independent (thankfully) of the horrific misuse of aid that the Nepali government simply cannot be trusted to deal with.

You can donate on the website with a secure online payment. They will provide you with a charitable receipt (to claim against tax). The website is:

www.thejuniperfund.org

To ensure that your donation goes to the right place, when the option of 'in honor of' comes up, please write: Trek8848. This will ensure the 80% ring- fence for Pasang Temba, Kumar and Tenzing's families. We think it is important that 20% goes to the fund at large, and hope that you agree."

Nepal: From Home to Namche Bazaar in Photos

Here’s a link to photos from the first several days of our Nepal trip. Captions are on the upper right or bottom center, depending on which way you view the album. We’ve also included two great videos of the Lukla airport.

Nepal: From Home to Namche Bazaar

Enjoy!