Mount Everest Foundation

MEF is not a household name.  But it should be.  In countries around the world where tourists and adventurers go every year, the local villages and economy benefit very little from the dollars and footsteps that we leave.  In choosing Dan Mazur to climb with, it wasn’t about the Three Cups of Tea fame or the fact that he had summitted Everest numerous times, it was all about the values and goodness that he seems to incite and emote with his teams and contributions to society.

There are tons of causes to support out there.  The Gates Foundation does amazing things well below the radar for literally hundreds of thousands every year.  The work that Warren Buffet and Bill have done to motivate fellow billionaires and stalwarts of society to give something back in big ways is truly amazing and sets the bar for our next generation.

The MEF has no such lofty goals.  It “exists to help local families help themselves to build schools and hospitals and environmental projects in remote areas near to Mount Everest”.

I think, in my own humble opinion, we need both types of organizations – big-time super-large foundations, and micro-local to give to specific groups and areas that people are personally drawn to.  For me, MEF is that one because it touches a place that is both intimate and needy, where on can see both immediate impact, but also longer-term change.  And when this lofty 7 & 7 goal is finished, that will also be both personal and long-lasting.

About the MEF:

“We understand that it is necessary to give something back to the people and the areas we visit. Our efforts focus on helping local families to help themselves to:

• Build hospitals, schools and environmental projects to help poor families in Nepal and Tibet.
• Organize and lead medical, educational, environmental and cultural service-walks to help local people help themselves and to encourage
• Providing medical care during the service-walks.
• Bring clothing and medical supplies to remote Nepal.
• Educate Nepalese children by helping build new schools, hiring additional teachers and providing educational materials.
• Educate local people to become teachers in the rural villages where they live, in order to build sustainable education opportunities.
• Educate local people to become health workers in the rural villages where they live, in order to promote sustainable health services in remote areas.
• Work together with our sponsors, who insist we care for the environments and cultures we visit.
• Support cultural preservation and restoration projects to sustain local foundations on the edge of disappearing, both physically and socially.
• Support environmental cleanup projects and awareness in order to calm the effects of tourism in the Himalaya and keep these majestic areas pristine.”

So -  Care.  Show you care. Give.  Give what you don’t need to those in need.  Make it personal to what you believe in.  Bold aspirations mean aspiring to do bold things for you and your family but also your local and global community – to do whatever touches your heart and soul.