Project Update - July

By Isabelle Privé

A team meeting was held last Thursday with 18 out of 23 members present.

Losses:

The further we get into our adventure, the more it takes on Olympic proportions, whether in the amount of time needed for fund-raising, for training and for voluntary work, or in the difficulty represented by the climb itself.

Sadly, the team has lost several of its original members. We'd like to thank Line, Bruno-Pierre, Gabrielle, Maude and Pascal for having had the guts to come so far. We wish them all the best.

As the team gets smaller, the bond between us gets stronger. We are more determined than ever to live up to our dream.

Money matters:

The dates and amounts of the deposits to be made are now known and, with this step, we wake up to the reality of our commitment to the project.  It will be even more so in October when we make our first payment to Expé.

Mathieu Fleury, Expé:

Our partner, Mathieu Fleury from Expé, was there to talk about the adventure and answer our questions. Vaccinations, passports, training and equipment were covered. We learnt that we won't be able to wash our hair, that there'll be no toilets between the camps and that there's not a load of bushes either!!!  Type of boots, type of backpack. Training sessions on Mont Royal. In other words, a first inkling of what it'll be like to travel with Expé. Thank you, Mathieu, for coming and for answering our questions so fully.

Voluntary work:

As voluntary involvement is at the heart of our project, we decided to plan at least one activity a month. We've started discussing with Sainte-Justine Hospital ways of spending some time with their sick children. We'll keep you up to date. 

Group activity:

We've planned a weekend at Sylvain and Janie's chalet in August to practise living as a team. We'll be camping, climbing Mont Tremblant and spending the evening round the fire. A good occasion for really getting to know one another!

Fund-raising:

We're sure to keep warm this Autumn with all the fund-raising activities planned. Packing groceries, organising a gastronomic supper, Casino evenings, Bowl-a-thon. We need everyone to pitch in if we're going to succeed.

Our fund-raising activity "Kili Corner Shop" is a victim of its own success! We're having trouble keeping up with the demand for our little bags of treats. So plan on spending several evenings producing them at Sylvain and Janie's.

Another jam-packed meeting and a very pleasant evening with the team!

Translated by Pamela Gauvin

Meet Louis

By Louis Hamelin

Hello,
My name's Louis Hamelin and I've been a section director at Desjardins for several years.

It was a colleague who told me about the project. I'm a great lover of the open air and of wide open spaces, as those who know me can tell you. So - I lost no time in signing on to this adventure.

For me, climbing Kilimanjaro is, most importantly, a way to test and surpass my physical and mental limits and also a time for introspection. I'm convinced that I'll come through this adventure transformed by living in close contact with the team, by experiencing completely different surroundings and exacting and destabilising conditions.

I'm familiar with the dangers of mountain sickness after staying in the Peruvian Andes at 4 000 meters. It's a calculated risk for anyone who wants to experience the beauty of high places. 

I don't practise any particular sport but I'm always on the move. I rowed for several years and I do downhill skiing, I cycle and I've just added jogging. Even if you're in the best of health and very fit, mountain sickness can still hit you.

I'm very keen and excited at the idea of doing this climb in Africa with my colleagues.
Youppi!!!!!


Translated by Pamela Gauvin

FundScrip

By André Lachapelle

I'm pleased to announce that our fund-raising scheme FundScrip is now up and running.

  

What is FundScrip? It's a means of fund-raising by buying, through our members, a gift card from one of the member retailers (Ex: IGA, Super C, Canadian Tire....). FundScrip will reimburse Team Kili-2012 with a percentage of the price of the card.
You are invited to look up the complete list of retailers at this link:

http://www.fundscrip.com/Détaillants/liste_des_detaillants.aspx

So, how exactly does it work?
Easy!

Choose the retailer or retailers who interest you on the above list. Then order your cards from a member of our team. We'll fetch your cards and get them back to you. As we pick them up on Mondays, we need to have your orders by the preceding Thursday.
A percentage of the amount you pay will be deposited in our account by FundScrip.
 
Let's look at a concrete example:
Isabelle is a member of Team Kili-2012. Her Aunt Gertrude gives her $100 to get her a gift card from IGA. Isabelle orders the card from the designated person in the team. The following Monday this person fetches a gift card worth $100 from IGA, gives it to Isabelle who passes in on to her Aunt. As IGA offers 3%, FundScrip then deposits $3 in the Team Kili-2012 account. The same procedure is then repeated every week.

So now you and your family and friends can start ordering cards for your everyday shopping or for larger purchases.

It's a simple and easy way to support the Kili-2012 project.

We can also get recurrent cards if that suits you better. For instance, if you always shop at Maxi's, we can get a recurrent card for the amount you choose.

Please ask a member of the team if you have any questions about the scheme.

Translated by Pamela Gauvin

Meet Manon M.

By Isabelle Privé

The members of Team Kili-2012 like to be on the go. One of them is Manon Marleau.

Though discreet, Manon is one of the pillars of our organisation. A founder of the project and a team player, she likes the outdoors, challenges and all-out physical activity. If something needs organizing, Manon's the perfect person to get on the team.

As well as dealing with the logistics for Team Kili-2012, Manon is a member of the SCD social club. You'll often see her outside the cafeteria, giving out tickets for shows or taking inscriptions for different activities. That's as well as working out during her lunch hour.

As if that weren't enough, she never misses an opportunity to get out of the city for a excursion in the mountains or for a bike ride, a kayak trip or other outdoor activity. She even participated in the Tour de l'Ile 2011.

Manon is extremely active, full of energy and always ready for an adventure. In other words, a perfect candidate for Kilimanjaro.

Translated by Pamela Gauvin

The Joy of Giving...

By Isabelle Privé

Thanks to the generosity of the clients, grocery packing at Maxi's in Laprairie allowed us to make just over $1000! Out of this amount, we were delighted to make a donation of $102 to the President's Choice Foundation.

Once again, we'd like to thank the Laprairie Maxi employees for their kindness and their welcome, especially Mme Clémence Lapierre who  went out of her way to offer us supplementary dates.
                                                     See you again in September!

Congratulations to the Team Kili-2012 members who managed to pack up all the orders without squashing a single loaf of bread......

Translated by Pamela Gauvin

It's nice to be noticed by our employer!

By Isabelle Privé

 

Unexpected recognition of our project appeared recently in the form of a comic strip on the office Intranet.

The chap climbing the stairs gets to the top only to be faced with the announcement that 25 SCD employees are going to climb Kilimanjaro in 2012.

We'll have to climb an awful lot of stairs to get us in shape for such a feat!

Our thanks to the authors of the weekly cartoon on the SCD Intranet. It's most encouraging to know that they believe in our project!

Translated by Pamela Gauvin