For years The Refuge has been working with street youth in the Oshawa area helping them to reach their full potential. Much of its fundraising has been done through their annual event the Durham ¼ Marathon, the only ¼ marathon in Canada. The runhas continued to grow and this year has over 500 participants! For the past 3 years Roger and Mike Bouma have been corporate sponsors of the run but this year they want to take a more hands on approach to fundraising.

On December 3rd, 2008 Mike Bouma will attempt to summit Africa's highest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro At over 19000 feet it is one of the Seven Summits and the highest free standing mountain in the world. Mike will spend five days on the mountain and is expected to reach the summit early on the morning of December 6th after 4 days of climbing.

You can be part of the adventure by logging on to www.bouma.ca  which will be equipped with GPS mapping. Track Mike with real time updates as he travels to Tanzania and all the way to the top of Kilimanjaro.

To achieve his fundraising goal of $10,000 Mike is going to need your help. Any donations would be greatly appreciated and can be made securely through Canadahelps.ca . Just click on "Donate Now" and select "Kilimanjaro Climb - Mike Bouma" as the fund designation. All money donated will go directly to The Refuge and no part will be used to fund the climb.

Donations by cheques can be made out to "The Refuge" and mailed or dropped off to:

Mike Bouma
300 - 379 Bond Street West,
Oshawa, Ontario
L1J 8R7

Tax reciepts by cheque will be mailed out in February

For more information or to reach Mike email him at Mike Bouma