Where's the love?

I just returned from my trip. I was barely home 12 hours when I was forwarded an article from a local newspaper: "Wiltonian ascends Mount Kilimanjaro."

The article interviewed a local man who recently summited Kili. What makes him so special?

He raised $1,000 for celiac disease.

$1,000? That's all you could raise? Kind of surprising that the goal was so low, particularly when he goes on and on in the article about the challenges of the climb, how he pushed his body to the limit, but that it was all worth it in the end.

But really -- $1,000? I raised $1,000 to participate in Spin Odyssey where we rode stationary bikes for 6 hours while being fed all the food and drink you could want while hopping off for bathroom breaks, massages, or just because you felt like it. And we got goodie bags and long-sleeve t's. (Everyone loves a long-sleeve t!)

But this douchebag hit up his friends and family and "community" to contribute funds on his behalf so he could trudge up a mountain over the course of 7 days, pushing his body to the limit (his words, not mine), and all he could raise was $1,000?

If you really want to make a change in the world and help people out...then take the $10,000 you just dropped on the trip and contribute THAT to your cause. Then use the 7 days you spent climbing to stand outside Whole Foods and solicit the good people of Fairfield County to contribute additional funds.

Your "vacation" was a poorly veiled attempt at philanthropy and your $1,000 "achievement" --while generous of your friends, family, and community-- is absurdly weak.

PS: The climb wasn't that hard, maybe you should have trained more instead of spending all that time on your fundraising?