Kili is my CASA: A Climb of Mount Kilimanjaro to benefit CASA Omaha resident John MacKenzie will turn 50 on January 19, 2010. To celebrate this milestone MacKenzie is raising funds to travel to Tanzania and climb Mt. Kilimanjaro to benefit his local chapters of CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children.
CASA volunteers are appointed by judges to watch over and advocate for abused and neglected children, to make sure they don’t get lost in the overburdened legal and social service system or languish in an inappropriate group or foster home. They stay with each case until it is closed, and the child is placed in a safe, permanent home. For many abused children, their CASA volunteer will be the one constant adult presence—the one adult who cares only for them. Today, approximately 780,000 children in the US are caught up in the court and child welfare maze because they are unable to live safely at home. Imagine what it would be like to lose your parents, not because of something you did, but because they can’t—or won’t—take care of you. Now, into these children’s lives come dozens of strangers: police, foster parents, therapists, social workers, judges, lawyers, and more. Hopefully, one of these strangers is a CASA volunteer. John MacKenzie works as the General Manager of the Islamorada Fish Company, the restaurant at the Bass Pro Shops store in Council Bluffs, Iowa. His restaurant recently held a fundraiser to Benefit CASA where 15% of food sales during a Dine to Donate on 11/16/09 were donated to CASA. MacKenzie is raising funds from individuals, corporations and organizations to benefit the CASA chapters in his region of Nebraska and Iowa. Donors can pledge an amount per foot of the mountain climbed. When he makes it to the summit, at a penny per foot, the contribution to CASA would be $193.34. All monies donated to the project are tax deductible and will be used to benefit CASA in the form of direct contributions as well as publicizing its mission and successes. The documentary will further spread the word about CASA as well as hopefully result in more individuals deciding to train to become a CASA volunteer. Major support for this project in the form of sponsorship would result in ‘in kind contributions’ up to exclusive placement in all print and online material; summit shot displaying sponsor logo; logo displayed on climbing gear; segment of film dedicated to highlighting support of the sponsor; ability to use documentary footage and personal appearances by Mackenzie in its own Marketing. We have developed a website: http://kiliismycasa.bbnow.org/ to educate the public about our project and to allow individuals to follow the climb as well as make donations. We hope you can support our project. John MacKenzie |
John MacKenzie is father of two teenage boys who believes that ordinary people can do great things. He recently found out about CASA, and decided to take on something big to help raise awareness of the importance of the work that CASA volunteers do on behalf of abused and neglected children in local court systems across America. MacKenzie is working with Full Spectrum Productions, a film and video production company based in Des Moines, Iowa, to produce a film that will inform viewers about CASA as well as documenting his journey to Africa to benefit CASA.
