Summit on the Summit - An organization, a movement, a goal. Created by Kenna, SOTS is working to bring awareness to the global clean water crisis. In climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, SOTS is raising money to help those who don't have clean drinking water, in hopes to eradicate waterborne diseases in Africa and around the world.
A little background on how I got involved with SOTS...
In 2003, I discovered the musical talent of Kenna. My favorite lead singer, Dave Gahan (Depeche Mode) was embarking on his first solo tour, and I was not about to miss it. I heard that someone named Kenna was opening up for him, so I went out and bought the album "New Sacred Cow." I had never heard of Kenna, much less any of the songs from the album, but I figured if he was opening for Dave Gahan, he had to have something decent to offer. And boy did he ever. On first listen to "New Sacred Cow" I was hooked. The music, the beats, the lyrics, I was pulled in and have not yet looked back. My husband and I went to two shows on that tour, and at each had the pleasure of meeting and talking to Kenna. What a kind, humble, and friendly man.
Fast forward 4 years. In 2007, I eagerly anticipated a new Kenna album. Finally in October "Make Sure They See My Face" was released, and was so worth the wait. Was it more beautiful than the first album? Perhaps. Both albums were both so different, yet so much the same. It made me love Kenna even more. We got the chance to see him again live, when he opened for She Wants Revenge. And again, we got to meet and talk to him. To my great surprise, but great joy - Kenna remembered us. From 4 years earlier, this man who had been doing so much all around the world, remembered us. Talk about having a new respect for an individual. Since then, I've done my best to spread the word on Kenna to make sure everyone DOES see his face and hear his words.
During the time between albums, Kenna found the need to climb Mr. Kilimanjaro. Also during this time, he found out his father suffered from waterborne diseases while growing up in Ethiopia. He'd lost family and friends to these diseases. Kenna was moved to do something about it. And this is where SOTS was born. And through the efforts of Kenna to bring a face and an awareness to this issue, I heard about the problems with waterborne diseases. I had no idea there were such problems. No one, regardless of where they live, their soci0-economic status, or their living conditions should have to go without clean water. We so easily take it for granted that we can get clean water any time, all day, every day in our homes with access to water filter systems. There are certain causes I get behind 100% - and those are all related to basic human rights of one form or another. This is one that deserves my time and attention, and hope that it grabs your attention too.
On January 7, 2010, Kenna, along with fellow celebrities, activists, and others (including Jessica Biel, Lupe Fiasco, Alexandra Cousteau, Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Gore, and more), will be climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro to bring attention to Clean Water Crisis. And all of us can help. While we may not be able to climb the mountain physically, we can climb virtually. Follow the climb online at the Summit on the Summit website. Visit the site NOW to find out more information and to sponsor a foot of the climb. I've done it, it takes no time at all to sign up. Choose an available foot, choose your donation amount, and enter your info - it's easy! You can also read bios of all the climbers and find out other vital information on this climb and on the reasons behind it.
Also, follow SOTS on Twitter and Facebook.
Thank you for reading, thank you for supporting, and thank you for your time. And huge thanks to Kenna and all of his friends for taking the time to do this - humanity needs more people like this showing the world what hard work, a good attitude, and a dedication to helping others can do.
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