2005 Newsletters
Erik Speaks to Thousands of Boston Students
Oct 17th, 2005
We have just been informed that Sabriye Tenberken, founder of the first school for the blind in Lhasa and star of our upcoming documentary on the 2004 Tibet expedition, when Erik led six blind Tibetan teenagers and Sabriye to 21,000' on the northside of Everest, is going to be on The Oprah Winfrey Show today, Monday, October 17. The episode is entitled "Eight Women Oprah Wants You To Know." Sabriye was also featured in the August issue of Oprah Magazine....great article! On September 28, the National Braille Press (NBP) held a hugely successful event at the TD Banknorth Garden, raising $650,000 in the launch of its Hands On! Books for Blind Children. The campaign aims to eliminate the literacy gap that separates blind children from their sighted peers. NBP's generous policy is to provide highly expensive Braille books to blind people at a price no greater than the list price of the print version. I always chuckle when I think of what NBP's slogan should be: The More We Sell, The More We Lose. NBP - and its VP-Development Tanya Holton - is establishing a wonderful reputation for visionary fundraisers to support its programs. This one involved the Boston Celtics, part-owner Wyc Grousbeck and his players, and NBA Commissioner David Stern. Erik sunk one of two foul shots to earn NBP $5,000, and two climbs with him in Colorado were auctioned off for $15,000 apiece. Along with Commissioner Stern, Erik was presented a Hands On! Award for "advancing Braille literacy internationally and inspiring a love of reading in blind children and their families." It's a small world! Bill Raeder, the Executive Director of NBP, who lost his sight and lower arm in a dynamite explosion when he was young, accompanied Erik on his recent climb of Kilimanjaro. Tom Sullivan, owner of Lumber Liquidators which sponsors Erik around the country in youth and school events, was a co-chair of this affair as well.....and purchased one of Erik's climbs. Thousands of Boston school children are now reading Erik's "Touch the Top of the World" in advance of hearing him speak at the Wang Center on Wednesday, October 26 at 9:30 a.m. Participating schools are also being visited by Jeff Evans, Erik's long-time climbing partner who has summited more mountains with Erik than any other climber. Jeff will share with students "the other side of the story." Parents are encouraged to participate in the school event and in the Wang Center presentation, so that they can dialogue with their children afterward on the important message: to dream big, and then work hard and smart not to let obstacles stand in the way of those dreams. The intent of this multi-activity program is for Erik's message to get traction in the minds of young people who are thinking about what they want to do with their lives. A similar program was held in Philadelphia in 2004. We thank Lumber Liquidators for bringing Erik to Boston, Verizon for providing the books, GE and The Educational Resource Institute for sponsoring specific schools; and Lesley University, National Braille Press, World T.E.A.M. Sports, and Perkins School for the Blind for organizing the program in Boston. TidBits * The No Boundaries campaign of REFCO featuring Erik and his exploits continues in the October issue of Trader Monthly, with a dramatic full-page photo of Erik kayaking in the Primal Quest opposite the message: "Nothing should stand between you and your goals." After detailing a few of those adventures, the copy continues: "Because Erik knows that what stops us is not what we can or cannot see, but only the limitations we create for ourselves." * The Italian publisher Vivalda has contracted to publish Touch the Top of the World, thanks to Maria Franca Galanzi, whom Erik met in Cortina during No Barriers Dolomiti 2004 and 2005. Maria Franca facilitated this purchase and will do the translation. The book is already published in German, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese (Mandarin). * Just after presenting at the Kenan Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina on October 1, Erik had the exciting opportunity to speak with the players and coaches of UNC's premier women's soccer team, perennial national champs. The coach gave this feedback to Erik afterward: "I've never seen my players sit so still for so long." * KBDI, the PBS station in Denver, is using the Everest documentary, Farther Than the Eye Can See, as a fundraiser, beginning September 24 and continuing through October. Three times throughout the airing, the show comes back to Michael Brown, director of the film and its cinematographer, and Erik in the studio for background and insights on the film. If financially successful, this PBS initiative could go national.Sabriye on Oprah This Monday
National Braille Press - A Huge Success
To Boston Students: "What Legacy Do You Want To Leave Behind?"
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