Big Brothers Big Sisters Independence climbs Mt. Kilimanjaro
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The mentoring organization Big Brothers Big Sisters Independence has gone to great heights. In one of their most ambitious fundraising efforts, a group made up of donors, board members and the CEO recently climbed Mount Kilimanjaro.
The highest mountain in Africa. The team set out over the first week in December in Tanzania.
It's part of the organization's push to use adventure to raise money for more children to be matched with mentors. Currently, the organization serves around 2,000 children. Several hundred remain on the waitlist.
"We know for a fact that the research tells us that one in three kids in this country will have an effective mentor, a caring compassionate adult in their life," Marcus Allen, CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters Independence, said. "We have about 700 of those kids on our waiting list. The dollars we are raising will help us take 300 kids off that waiting list."
Big Brothers Big Sisters Independence exceeded their $500,000 goal, but there's more time to help even more children receive resources.