His dreams are big . . . and his heart even bigger.
This is a story about an adventurous ten year old boy named Keenan.
Keenan lives in the Seattle area with his parents Marty and Chris. Their family had the opportunity to visit Tanzania in 2008. As sponsors of a student at St. Margaret’s Academy, the highlight of their trip was hosting a Christmas party at the school for students and staff. . . and of course spending valuable time with their sponsored child.
Keenan was profoundly impacted by his trip to St. Margaret’s, and he was determined to return someday to help his new friends in some way.
Well, a few months ago he did just that. (This is where the dreaming big part comes in.)
Keenan started a fundraising effort called “Kilimanjaro for Kids”. To inspire others to give, he and his parents would bike 100 miles across Tanzania, THEN climb Mt. Kilimanjaro–the highest peak in Africa at 19,300 feet. This would be a remarkable undertaking for anyone, let alone a ten year old boy.
The family embarked on their adventure this past December.
They biked four days through countless villages and experienced rural Tanzania and its people up close. Rough dirt roads made the route challenging at times, but meeting villagers along the way made time pass quickly. Once they reached their destination, the second half of their journey began–an eight day trek to the peak of Kilimanjaro.
Keenan did an amazing job climbing the mountain. On summit night, Keenan had to turn around with his mom at 17,000 feet. He became too ill to continue, but asked his dad to summit for the family–which he did! Once off the mountain they were greeted by African drums and singing in celebration.
(Now this is where the big heart part comes in.)
Through the support of his friends and family, Keenan raised $5,865 to help build a classroom at St. Margaret’s Academy. This new classroom will provide twenty-five more children the gift of education.
Keenan is truly an inspiration.
Friends of Africa Education
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