University community has 12 weeks to raise $7,800 for charity

Pacific senior Victoria Wingell and sophomore Isabelle Chapman have 12 weeks to raise $7,800. If they reach their goal, they will be able to make a summit attempt of Mount Hood, and all proceeds will be donated to the American Lung Association (ALA) to prevent lung disease and advocate against tobacco use.

Their first fundraising event, Pizza for a Cause, is being held March 13-14 at Pizza Schmizza. From 3-7 p.m., the restaurant will be donating 25 percent of their sales to ALA if the cause is mentioned at check out.

Wingell and Chapman are a part of Climb for Clean Air, an ALA program that gives individuals the opportunity and training to summit a mountain. In previous years, Climb for Clean Air has raised over $5 million for ALA, and over 1,500 climbers having participated in the cause.

Summiting Mount Hood has been Wingell and Chapman’s dream for a while. When Wingell saw an ad for the cause on Facebook, she knew she had to take the opportunity. In preparation for their 11,250 ft summit, they meet once a week with other fundraisers to train for the climb. They train on anything that has an 1,000 ft elevation gain to each mile. So far they have climbed Multnomah Falls, Cape Horn, and Angels Rest. Wingell does not feel prepared just yet. “But we are getting there,” she said.

Wingell and Chapman have until May 29 to meet their goal. If they succeed, they will make the summit May 30-31. Currently, they have raised $649 through the various donations of their friends. In the future, they plan on teaming up with Aramark and the United Church of Christ for a community church dinner. All ticket proceeds will go to ALA. To learn more about their cause or make a donation visit http://action.lung.org/goto/teamlungandrestless.