Making money for charity by sharing your goal in a blog

My husband was watching PBS the other night and the next day told me about how he was moved by a show about the tragedies of climbing Mount Everest. Apparently he had done some blog searches from climbers making the trek and found a site http://www.alanarnette.com/. Alan Arnette is climbing Mt. Everest right now. It’s his third attempt, and he’s 51 years old. He hasn’t made it to the top yet, but he’s hoping this time he’ll be able to.

His website’s motto is “Memories are everything”. Alan’s mom has Alzheimer’s, so Alan is raising money for Alzheimer’s research through his site and his journey. My hubby is so emotional about the site he wants to donate toward the guy’s trip (it costs up to $100k to climb Mt. Everest, and there’s close to a 10% chance of death) so that he can realize his dream. The website doesn’t offer this, only a contribution towards Alzheimer’s research.

Alan says that he’s always lived within his means and he’s not rich by any stretch. He goes on to say “Yes, spending enough money to buy a really, really nice car is a choice we make. But the key is living a life that allows those choices to be available. I often hear people say that they wished they could do one thing or another. I believe you can, if you focus on making it happen. Money is the enabler, your choices throughout your life are the key.”

To chart this guy’s incredible journey, you can follow it online here.