Summit For Shelter: A creative fundraiser to support Charlotte’s nonprofits
11 men. 6 months of physical training. 1 week of intense hiking, with a grueling 13-hour climb to the summit. 226 people contributing to the “Summit for Shelter” fundraiser to raise close to $100K for Roof Above and another Charlotte-based nonprofit. Added together, a huge reminder that, according to Casey Rentch: “It’s a generous world out there.”
In 2024, Casey Rentch and a handful of lifelong friends decided to tackle the monumental challenge of reaching the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. But this group of adventurous men wanted to make this more than a trip. With that in mind, they gathered additional friends to participate and challenged themselves to raise money for causes close to their hearts.
Casey says they chose to raise money for Roof Above because they had a lot of trust in the organization and the mission spoke to their hearts. “It was a bunch of Charlotte men doing something hard for men who are experiencing homelessness in Charlotte.”
More Than a Hike
Casey and crew spent six months training for the trip, yet they were still not prepared for the final climb to the summit, which took 13 hours. For 10 of those hours, Casey said his heart rate was pushed past his max heart rate. He was at his physical limit. But the friends in front of him and friends behind him, all experiencing the same limits, inspired Casey to keep going. The 226 people who contributed to the fundraiser also helped him to keep pushing. For Casey, this was much more than a hike.
Casey says, “It’s an achievable, attainable goal if you have the tenacity to keep going.”
This is a powerful analogy for people who are moving forward on their journeys from homelessness to housing. The process can be long and filled with obstacles, but with the support of others and the grit to keep making moves, an individual can often find their way home.
Big kudos and many thanks to the Summit for Shelter hikers: Casey Rentch, Chris Mitchell, Andy Culicerto, Rich Herring, Chris Tebbit, Craig Remsen, Sarper Beyazurek, Beau McIntosh, Jon Redburn, Sandeep Dave, Saro Cutri.
These generous men offer a great example of a creative and meaningful way to support Roof Above and to invite those in your network to do the same.