Fighting Cancer On Mt. Kilimanjaro

The Love Hope Strength Foundation is at it again – bringing musicians to really neat location around the world with the goal of raising funds, support and awareness to fight cancer. This time around, members of The Fixx, the Gin Blossoms, Squeeze and The Stray Cats, along with Nick Harper and founding member Mike Peters of The Alarm, are climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro in East Africa.

Harper and Peters will be joined by The Fixx’s Cy Cumin, The Stray Cats’ Slim Jim Phantom, Squeeze’s Glenn Tilbrook and Gin Blossoms’ Robin Wilson, in addition to twenty cancer survivors and supporters.

Mt. Kilimanjaro is an inactive stratovolcano located in Kilimanjaro National Park in north-eastern Tanzania – and the highest peak in Africa at 19,341 feet.

The 12-day adventure begins Sept. 27 and concludes Oct. 9.

Photo: Gary Noel

2008’s event entitled “Peru Rocks” at Machu Picchu.

After hiking for seven days to the summit of Kilimanjaro’s Uhuru Peak, the musicians will put on a symbolic acoustic performance. The group will also unveil 6,000 prayer flag, which bear the names of family and friends who have been touched by cancer.

Oct. 8 the LHS “Kilimanjaro Rocks” team will join the Maasai community for a traditional feast and celebration along with dancing and singing.

Each of the members of the “Kilimanjaro Rocks” team have devoted a year of their lives to train and raise funds for East African cancer care.

“Most people don’t realize that cancer is going to be the leading cause of death in the world by 2010,” said James Chippendale, Co-Founder of the Love Hope Strength Foundation. “We are here to raise awareness and levels of cancer care in East Africa through the power of music and the global community tuning in online.”

Shannon Foley, LHS Executive Director, explained that the “Kilimanjaro Rocks” event will be especially emotional because one of the members of the team passed away from cancer before being able to join in on the adventure.

“Kevin Carlberg, a talented musician an extraordinary father and husband, spent the last year training and fundraising with his heart set on summiting Kilimanjaro with us to celebrate his triumph over brain cancer. Sadly, he lost his battle one month ago. We will do this climb in memory of Kevin and the countless others whom we have lost to this ever-growing disease,” Foley said.

Carlberg handled vocals and acoustic guitarist for the American rock band Pseudopod.

Love Hope Strength Foundation has previously put on LHS “Rocks” concerts in locations including Pikes Peak in Colorado, Mt. Everest in Nepal, Machu Picchu in Peru, Mt Snowdon in Whales and the roof of the Empire State Building in New York City.

For more information about the Love Hope Strength Foundation, please click here for the organization’s Web site.