Summit to the END - Heather Haines & John Burg

Friends: We've hit our goal of a dollar per each foot we'll climb, but we're not stopping there! 

Heather's Story: Many of you might not yet know I’ve started a new job with the END Fund, a small but mighty organization dedicated to the fight against neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), a group of parasitic and bacterial infectious diseases that affect the world's most impoverished people. 

One aspect of my new gig that I'm most excited about is climbing some 19,314 feet to raise awareness--and funds--for NTDs, which impact over one and a half billion people globally. While I’m enthusiastic about the climb, I’m even more eager to see, first-hand, how the END Fund and our implementing partners work through an on-the-ground "NTD Learning Day," as part of this experience.

The idea of training over the next few weeks to be fully prepared to walk four to six hours per day--while schlepping some 15 lbs, no less--is certainly daunting (as is the idea of not showering for a solid week!). But, in chatting with my sister, Holly, about this impending trek, she mentioned that my father always wanted to climb Kilimanjaro. I often “hear” my father’s voice urging me forward and cheering me on – sometimes with less abrasive and more colorful language than others. It’s his voice that I’ll listen to when pushing through the daily frustrations, frequent blisters, and utter exhaustion of this climb. While my dad never had the opportunity to make this journey, his goal inspires me to do it for the both of us.

It's with a grateful heart that I seek your support--not only for my personal climb, but for the goal of helping to end the suffering of those people around the world with NTDs. I hope you'll join me in raising $19,314 -- one dollar for each foot I'll climb!

John’s Story: I have my father to thank for exposing our family to international travel from a young age—starting with my birth abroad. This has inculcated within me a passion to experience first-hand other cultures and a deep appreciation for their customs and histories, which I’ve enjoyed exploring during many years of working and living in West Africa, the Middle East and Caribbean, among other areas around the world. Thankfully, this is a passion that Heather and I share, and we’ve been fortunate enough to have had some wonderful adventures together—including a honeymoon in India and zip-lining through Dollywood. But none compare to the excitement of this challenge, where we will work as a team to tackle the highest peak on the African continent—and while raising much needed funds for such a laudable mission as seeing an end to neglected tropical diseases