Celebrated NFL players headed for Mount Kilimanjaro with war veterans
Four celebrated National Football League (NFL) Players, Tedy Bruschi who is currently an ESPN analyst, former Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher and former Philadelphia Eagles and St. Louis Rams player Chad Lewis, are all set to summit the coveted Mount
Kilimanjaro in north of Tanzania starting May 13th.
They will be accompanied by four injured war veterans who will be joining the NFL players in a bid to raise awareness and funds for the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), a non-profit organization working for the welfare of injured and crippled war veterans.
The climb marks the first of its kind event of WWP protocol named “believe in heroes”. Under Armour is the official sponsor of the expedition and will not only be providing the outfits for all the climbers but will also contribute a generous donation for
the cause. The campaign will highlight the sufferings of the American War veterans who have suffered during their engagements overseas.
“Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro will be memorable, but to be able to experience it with service members that have sacrificed so much for our country is what I'm truly looking forward to,” said Bruschi. “These men and women are beyond inspiring, and I am thankful
to the NFL for this once in a lifetime opportunity.”
WWP Executive Director Steven Nardizzi also spoke on the occasion, “We are honored to be kicking off our 'Believe in Heroes' campaign with the NFL and Under Armour,” said Nardizzi. “Both are true partners and have shown a continued and passionate commitment
to raising awareness to the struggles and sacrifice of this generation of wounded warriors.”
NFL has a long history of honouring its war heroes who have fared badly while serving for their motherland. The League often invites war heroes to attend home games during football season. The climb will be scheduled from May 13-19, after the climbers have
done the necessary acclimatization at the base camp.
Among the wounded war veterans include Bryan Wagner from Exeter, CA and Ben Lunak from Grand Forks, ND, both have lost a leg during their posting overseas. Nancy Schiliro from Hartsdale, NY lost one eye while serving the country and another climber Mike
Wilson, from Annapolis, MD is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury.
Kilimanjaro is made up of three volcanic cones of the Alpine era and is an inactive stratovolcano in North-Eastern Tanzania. It is the highest mountain in Africa standing 5,895 meters above sea level. There are six official climbing routes of the mountain
including Marangu, Rongai, Lemosho, Shira, Umbwe and Machame. Machame is by far the most scenic and beautiful route to the peak but is quite steep and more hazardous.
In preparations for their climb, Bruschi, Fisher and Lewis have also decided to proceed to Nevada and Colorado to stage some practice sessions before the climb begins in Tanzania.
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