Keith Milne, a local Vermonter, flew to Tanzania on Christmas night to climb to the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro. When he returns, he will share stories and photos of the journey. Why reach for the peak? Keith is raising money for the Norris Cotton Cancer Center in The Prouty Challenge Event, a series of athletic events inspired by the 33-year-old fundraiser, The Prouty, with the goal of bringing people together to take action in the fight against cancer.

Keith explains his goals on his personal fundraising page and encourages the support of others, whether financial or moral. You can visit his page at

https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=1107960&supId=422651836.

“Cancer has impacted my life as it has countless others. In the United States, the lifetime risk of developing cancer for men is slightly less than 1 in 2; for women, it’s slightly greater than 1 in 3,” he explains on his webpage. He is hiking in memory of his uncle, also named Keith Milne, who died of a malignant brain tumor 16 years before his nephew was born and named in his memory, and his cousin Jonathan Milne, who passed away on November 9, 2015, plus other family members and friends.

“I am hiking in support of everyone who has battled, is battling, and will battle this disease,” Keith says. He prepared for the climb by running, hiking—including the Grand Canyon, and working out at a gym. When asked if he was nervous, he said, “No, I am very excited to raise money for cancer with an amazing adventure.”

The first trip to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro was inspired by Mark “Wes” Chapman with five climbers who enjoyed the experience and raised over $35,000. Wes, an experienced mountaineer, has climbed Kilimanjaro as well as numerous peaks in North and South America, and locally, he hosted the 2014 Kilimanjaro climb. He will host it again this year with co-host and Geisel medical student Kelly Michaelsen.

The original Prouty was started by four nurses to honor Audrey Prouty, a cancer patient who lost her nine-year battle with the disease. To continue to honor Audrey and all those who have fought or are fighting this disease, as well as care providers and those who have lost the battle, Audrey’s Ribbon Brigade takes yellow ribbons with honorees’ names to the top of the peaks in this series of challenge events.

For more information on Reach for the Peaks, go to http://reachforthepeaks.org/.

Donations benefit Research and Patient Services at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Norris Cotton Cancer Center, one of 41 Comprehensive Cancer Centers designated by the National Cancer Institute and recently named one of only nine Centers for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence in the nation. For more details, go to http://cancer.dartmouth.edu/.