Dear family, friends, Rotarians, and anyone else who may have stumbled across this,

Please don't be alarmed by the length of the text. I promise that it'll be informative and if you are lucky, it might even provoke a little chuckle out of you.
 

On June 15th a group of Ambassadorial Scholars around the UK are going to undergo a mission to climb three mountains in three different countries and all within 24 hours. This is the Three Peak Challenge where hikers climb the three highest mountains in the UK starting in Scotland, going down to England and ending in Wales. I will be joining this group of crazy, outgoing, adventurous scholars to raise money for Shelterbox, an international relief charity that provides families worldwide with lifesaving supplies after disasters.

I love hiking and I’ve been on some amazing trails around the world. But I have NEVER done anything like this.

Crazy you say?
Perhaps. But we like crazy.

Won’t it be cold, windy and dangerous?

In the UK, it’s always cold and windy but I’d hardly consider it dangerous (although climbing mountains in the dark might pose some unique not-so-completely-safe challenges). Don’t worry though. We are clever kids and will take every precaution to ensure that we are all safe.

Why Shelterbox?
The truth is, most of us are very fortunate have never needed to evacuate our homes and leave absolutely everything behind. But unfortunately, millions of people throughout the world are currently displaced and living away from the comforts of a home due to natural disasters, political, religious, military or other reasons. Shelterbox helps those affected by disasters and deliver a box with essential families need in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. Each large, green Shelterbox is tailored to a disaster but typically comes with a disaster relief tent for an extended family, blankets, groundsheets, water storage and filtration equipment, cooking utensils, a basic tool kit and a children’s activity pack among other essential items. I know a tent cannot make up for the absence of a home, but it’s something that families can have for temporary protection until their lives are put back together. Sure there are thousands of other charities we can support, but knowing that I’m helping give someone a temporary home when they have no other options makes me efforts more than worth it.

 

Check out their website and see everything Shelterbox is doing for people: http://www.shelterbox.org/

 
What can I do to help?
Spread the word and donate! Our goal is 5,000 pounds (that’s over US$7,600). Every pound (or dollar) gets us that much closer to our goal. I know we are all broke, in school or have better things to do, but I assure you that this money will not be wasted. As Rotary Scholars we make sure that what we do has a positive affect for everyone and we’d never ask you to donate to something we didn’t believe in ourselves. Ask your friends, church groups, cubicle neighbors, mailman, distant cousins, strangers and anyone else. It doesn’t matter who you ask or how you ask them, just let people know all the awesome things Shelterbox is doing and how they can help.  

 

Thank you all in advance for all the support, not only for helping us raise money, but for the continued support I’ve had from so many of you over the years.

Big love from England,

Rebecca