In the month of September, 15 Canadians are going to be scaling Mt Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa standing 19,330 feet above sea level, to raise awareness and a minimum individual amount of $10,000 for the Alzheimer Society of B.C. I’ll be one of the climbers, as my father was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s in 2003. In doing this, I’ve decided to push the envelope a little further by raising the entire sum in only one month through a marketing and event blitz after committing to the cause last minute.

As many of you know me as a local Vancouver entrepreneur, I plan to rally the business, marketing and technology community throughout this campaign. The blitz will center on twitter and the Internet via an innovative campaign dubbed ‘Tweet to Remember’, and will also include fun events like a wine tasting on the 24th. With the use of mobile GSM & satellite technology, my progress and experiences climbing Mt Kilimanjaro will be communicated in my twitter stream @mjpennie. This will be the highest land‐altitude twittering to date. While my supporters will be able to follow me through Africa, I wanted to rally everyone closer to home as well, with a second ambitious climb. At the end of August, before leaving for Africa, I’ll be climbing the Grouse Grind carrying the $10,000 raised in loonies – approximately 154 pounds in change.

The wine tasting and silent auction will be hosted by The Wine Room on Burrard and West Pender on the 24th of August. Ticket price is $25 online in advance and $30 at the door. Tickets include a Best of B.C red or white wine flight and can be purchased through EventBrite. Donations for silent auction items and door prizes will be accepted up to the date. All donations for auction prizes are welcome and greatly appreciated. Guests are encouraged to order food and drinks beyond that, as all the staff working at the event have committed to donating their tips to the Alzheimer Society of B.C through my campaign.
To find out more, please visit http://TweetToRemember.com