Redmond resident Rohan Paramesh, a 16-year-old senior at Lakeside School in Seattle, has embarked on a fundraising campaign as he attempts to summit Mt. Rainier Aug. 6-19.
Paramesh hopes to raise a total of $20,000 — or $10,000 each for Seattle Children’s Hospital and AID India, which assists underprivileged children in that country.
Training and preparations for the trip are fully underway, said Paramesh, who successfully climbed Mount Baker two years ago as part of a school-organized program.
Every week, Paramesh does a strength circuit with free weights, lots of cardiovascular exercise and grueling sessions on the Jacobs Ladder.
He also runs stairs and hills with a loaded 35-40 pound pack and goes on at least one long hike every week with up to 45 pounds.
“When I need motivation to push forth with my workouts, I simply imagine the inimitable feelings of pride and thrill and humility that’ll come from a successful summit attempt,” he said.
The money he is raising for Seattle Children’s will go to the Foundation’s Uncompensated Care fund, which is expected to pay out more than a staggering $100 million in 2009 alone (up from $42 million in 2007).
Seattle Children’s Hospital was set up by Anna Herr Clise in 1907 with the idea to make it a place where children could receive top quality care, regardless of their race, gender or ability to pay.
Nancy Senseney, a Trustee of the Seattle Children’s Hospital Foundation and a great-granddaughter of Clise approved of Paramesh’s efforts and in an e-mail described it as “fantastic that (Rohan) thought of the kids at Children’s.”
Kristin Peterson, a development coordinator at the foundation, echoed similar sentiments, saying “(The Foundation is) very grateful to Rohan and encourages support from the community and individuals to help make this successful.”
The same can be said about AID’s efforts in the public education system in Tamilnadu. Paramesh found a desire to raise funds for AID through a personal visit.
“When I visited India last summer … my first role was helping to survey several public schools, evaluating the mathematical level of all children in first through sixth grade,” he said.
The results were “astonishing,” he continued.
Apparently, second graders had trouble identifying two-digit numbers and sixth graders were struggling with multi-digit subtraction.
“The failures of the public school system include the lack of properly trained teachers applying a properly designed curriculum and a dearth of parents interested in sending their kids to school,” Paramesh stated.
In fact, some children go to school only in order to secure at least one hot meal every day.
Funds raised for AID by Paramesh will go towards the costs and tuition of the orphaned students at Vinobhaji School in South India. The school will also use a new curriculum he helped to develop.
“I want all children to have a chance at living a quality life, unhindered by financial worries,” he explained.
Donations to AID India can be made at www.firstgiving.com/rainierforaid and donations to Seattle Children’s Hospital at www.firstgiving.com/rainierforchildrens.
You can also follow Paramesh’s progress on Facebook.
