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Help me Summit for Someone!!!

PostPosted: Sun Apr 03, 2011 6:10 am
by Pyroman9
Hello again everyone!

First off I would like to publicly thank all those who have helped me so far in my goal to raise $4500 for big city mountaineers - Summit for Someone. I have raised nearly $3500 so far and only have $1000 more to go!!! I am back asking for any other help that I can possibly get, this final push is all I need to accomplish my goal. I have been working so hard to raise this money. I just held a charity night at a local pub that was donated to me for the night, I had nearly 50 people attend, gave away nearly $2000 in donated prizes and raked in over $1000. It was a huge success!! I am currently organizing a local shooting competition which should be taking place next month. I am so close to reaching my goal, please take the time to read the following and consider helping these teens have a better life.

On July 17, five other climbers and I will begin an arduous five-day, 40-mile journey up 13,805 feet to the summit of Gannett Peak in order to raise money for Big City Mountaineers, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that gives at-risk urban teens an opportunity to experience a world outside of the inner city. By enabling them to go on week-long backpacking trips with caring mentors, we can help them gain a new perspective on life and discover strength they never knew they had.

Summit for Someone, the program through which we will be climbing, is the primary fundraiser for Big City Mountaineers and is the number one mountaineering fundraiser in the country. For one week, urban teenagers ages 13 to 18 are guided through the wilderness in California, Colorado, and Utah on backpacking trips. Each teen has his or her own supportive, dedicated mentor; together they cultivate a lasting, genuine friendship through transformative outdoor experiences. As they overcome new challenges, the group of five teens forms lifelong bonds. Every aspect of these trips helps the teenagers enhance their communication skills, learn to better cooperate in groups, and pursue new adventures.

The teenage years are meant to be a time of discovery and exploration, not of terror and tragedy. Spending a week in the wilderness does not mean running away from or forgetting what troubles lie at home. It means taking a moment out of an overwhelming life to marvel at the beauty of nature. It means looking down from a mountaintop at trees stretching for miles unbroken by streets. It means getting lost in the millions of stars that stand out against a night sky not obscured by the glare of city lights. Many teens who live in dangerous neighborhoods have never had these experiences, but Big City Mountaineers gives them the chance to trade concrete for mountains and violence for calm.

Without Summit for Someone, Big City Mountaineers could never afford to send so many teens on these trips. Every dollar raised brings one teen closer to self-realization and empowerment. The money you donate will go directly to the $4500 I am raising for their cause.

To see a little more here are a few links that you can check out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqckzLG0hKA
http://www.facebook.com/#!/video/video. ... 4335556499
http://www.bigcitymountaineers.com
http://myemail.constantcontact.com/SFS- ... q1eAJuiPqI

Thank you for taking the time to read all of this and considering helping me raise the final dollars to complete my goal to help these teens.
To donate simply click the following link and Click "Donate" when you get to that page, it is very simple and very secure.
http://www.summitforsomeone.org/main.ph ... imber=7415

Thank you for your time, climb on!
Eric McKinley
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Re: Help me Summit for Someone!!!

PostPosted: Sun Apr 03, 2011 11:49 am
by WouterB
Giving away 2000 USD in donated prices and receiving 1000 USD in donations? Sorry for my scepsis, but I'm not sure I would call that a huge success.

Re: Help me Summit for Someone!!!

PostPosted: Sun Apr 03, 2011 1:06 pm
by Pyroman9
sure it is.. cause how many people would pay full price for things at auctions??? such ex: I got 10 certificates for free indoor climbing admission at the local gym w/ belay certification... they are $35 each.. so i packaged them in pairs = $70 a package. Sold four for $70 so i got half... but that value is a service performed, but no loss to anyone. if i put it on ebay that would never sell. Some things made great profit such as a liquor basket worth 75 brought in 150 in the raffle... some things not.. such as i got a few games on clearance - normal cost equaled to around 75.. i paid 10 sold for 30 - good profit and good deal...

so you just would have to see how the money broke down. i counted the FULL RETAIL price as value... not what it currently goes for or what it is. Also you can never expect full price for anything at charitys with silent auctions. Another was a $100 gift card to a hair salon for a bunch of chick stuff ... that went for $50.. all profit for the teens.

Re: Help me Summit for Someone!!!

PostPosted: Sun Apr 03, 2011 1:07 pm
by Pyroman9
and heck $1000 is $1000 closer than what i was. :) only $1000 to go. I recieved about $200 from people on Summit post so far if i recall.

Re: Help me Summit for Someone!!!

PostPosted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 3:55 am
by Bob Burd
So you raise $4500 and get $1000 in free gear. I'm sure you've put in a lot of hard work in helping out a worthwhile charity, but
this really isn't the place to solicit for money since you stand to gain substantially yourself. According to the FAQ:

If you stand to make money from someone acting on your post, it is probably going to be deleted. This includes solicitations for charitable climbs that are in whole, or in part, funded by donations made by others.

Re: Help me Summit for Someone!!!

PostPosted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 10:15 pm
by Pyroman9
Bob, I can see one side of things.. but keep in mind the following...

1. These kids need our help and getting people to just get up and donate $4500 is not a easy task and not likely. Hence there is always some incentive.

2. Consider the crazy amount of hours it takes to plan, organize, and raise $4500.

3. I have to pay for my airfare to get to wyoming, a trip i would not normally do. I have hiked aconcagua unguided - along with the presidential range - and most the 46 high peaks in NY. I am doing this to put my outdoors skill to a good cause.

I have directly donated over $500 so far and will most likely donate more by the time i am all done with this. Also I am planning on flying out a 2nd trip to volunteer to help mentor these teens who need us so badly. So if i am lucky, i will break even. Lets also look at how far $1000 gift card will go?? Since I have most of what I will need, I will use it to buy myself a EV2 tent for my mountaineering... there goes most of it.. the rest will be spent on a new fleece or two, and its now all gone. So sure I get a reward for this... But i assure you that it does not come easy, nor am I in this for the prize. If i do go volunteer to mentor these kids, it will cost another $400-500 in airfare. Keep that in mind. I am most definately not getting the better end of this deal. I am simply trying to help for a great cause. So far on summitpost members have been very generous and they have donated about $250 which is outstanding!

So in conclusion Bob, I am sorry if I have offended you in trying to do some good. I completely respect your opinion and if you choose not to donate that is very acceptable, I am just reaching out to everywhere I know because this is not easy.

Thank you for your time.

Eric