19,340 FT, MT. KILIMANJARO, Tanzania, Jan. 12 /PRNewswire/ --
Kenna, Grammy-nominated musician, philanthropist, "actionist" and
mastermind behind SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT: Kilimanjaro, was joined at
the top of Africa's largest free standing mountain with fellow
climbers Lupe Fiasco, Isabel Lucas, Emile Hirsch, Jessica Biel,
Santigold, Elizabeth Gore, Alexandra Cousteau, Bernise Ang, Kick
Kennedy, Simon Isaacs, Michael Muller, Jimmy Chin, Melissa Arnot
and Dr. Greg Allgood. In an unprecedented movement, millions of
people joined the climbers for the week long trek on
http://www.summitonthesummit.com/, where they were also able to be
a part of the world's first virtual mountain climb and literally
follow their favorite climbers to the top. (Photo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100112/LA36367) After a
successful climb that saw each and every person on the expedition
reach the top of Kilimanjaro, Kenna reflected, "Even with as many
grandiose illusions that I have had, this has gone beyond my
wildest dreams and expectations. The influencers, educators, staff,
crew, and publicists have literally braved this on behalf of the
world and in a personally meaningful way on behalf of my father."
Fellow climbers Lupe Fiasco and Emile Hirsch shared their thoughts
after summiting. Hirsch said, "The last 48 hours have been the most
intense and physically grueling experience of my life, miraculously
we all made it to the top together. To have such a complete success
for such a worthwhile cause - the global clean water crisis - more
than reaching the summit is what is really satisfying." Lupe added,
"The thrill of conquering your fears especially in such a
physically and mentally taxing environment can't really be done
justice in words." After six intense days of hiking and climbing,
the group set out for their final trek at 1:30am local time and
after nearly seven hours reached the Uhuru peak which generally has
only a 75% success rate. Each participant battled a plethora of
physical and natural elements over the past week to make the
ascent. Between coping with weather ranging from rain, hail, snow
and the effects of altitude, including headaches, dizziness and
fatigue among other ailments, all made the over 50 mile journey
that much more arduous. Immediately after summiting, the group
descended for an additional six plus hours of hiking to 12,000
feet, where they will make their final night of camp. SUMMIT ON THE
SUMMIT: Kilimanjaro was a call to action to raise awareness of the
global clean water crisis and funds to benefit The Children's Safe
Drinking Water Program, United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR), and Water For People's Playpump Technology. The
expedition and the dramatic final ascent were also recorded for a
special documentary that will air on MTV on March 14th at 9pm/8pm
CST. The documentary is being produced by Radical Media, Procter
& Gamble Productions and Fury League Inc. For Kenna, the vision
behind SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT: Kilimanjaro stems from his drive to
create a greater good for our youth and has personal meaning as his
father was deeply affected by water-borne illness as a child in
Ethiopia and his uncle had passed away from a related illness as
well. The climbers of SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT: Kilimanjaro have been
blogging and discussing the issue of water alongside educators who
are leaders at the forefront of global issues. As a team they have
been learning of solutions to the problem, discussing how to
improve social awareness and embracing the idea that they are now
an example for influencing ways to take action and giving back to
those with little or nothing. Kenna added, "I also can't be more
thankful for all the people that followed us, donated and have
fought the global clean water crisis with us." Supporters followed
the action and were able to interact with the climbers through the
SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT: Kilimanjaro website
(http://www.summitonthesummit.com/) which has been updated daily
with photos, videos and information about the climb and the cause.
There has also been a major presence and call to action on
Facebook, Twitter (@sotsk) and dedicated climber blog
(http://www.sotsk.tumblr.com/). SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT: Kilimanjaro
would not have happened without the generous support of its
partners, which include HP, the official technology partner, PUR
Water Filtration, who provided water filtration solutions, Windows
7, as the official Expedition Software, First Ascent by Eddie
Bauer, who outfitted the entire climb, and REVO, the official
eyewear. All funds raised by SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT: Kilimanjaro will
be managed and distributed through the United Nations Foundation,
the project's charitable advisors. About HP HP, the world's largest
technology company, simplifies the technology experience for
consumers and businesses with a portfolio that spans printing,
personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure. More
information about HP (NYSE:HPQ) is available at http://www.hp.com/.
About PUR and the Children's Safe Drinking Water Program PUR(TM)
Water Filtration Systems, a Procter & Gamble (NYSE: P&G)
brand and a leader in the water filtration category, is committed
to providing clean drinking water in the U.S. and improving lives
around the world along with P&G global corporate cause, the
Children's Safe Drinking Water (CSDW) Program. The CSDW Program
utilizes a water purifying technology developed by PUR scientists
to help prevent water-related diseases by providing clean drinking
water to children in developing countries. This technology is a
small, easy-to-use powder sachet that removes impurities from dirty
water. With every purchase of a home PUR Water Filtration System
PUR donates a week's worth of clean drinking water to a child in
the developing world. For more information on PUR, visit
http://www.purwater.com/. To make a donation to Children's Safe
Drinking Water or see how the technology works, visit
http://www.csdw.org/. About Procter & Gamble Three billion
times a day, P&G brands touch the lives of people around the
world. The company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted,
quality, leadership brands, including PUR®, Pampers®, Tide®,
Ariel®, Always®, Whisper®, Pantene®, Mach3®, Bounty®, Dawn®, Gain®,
Pringles®, Charmin®, Downy®, Lenor®, Iams®, Crest®, Oral-B®,
Actonel®, Duracell®, Olay®, Head & Shoulders®, Wella®,
Gillette®, Braun® and Fusion®. The P&G community includes
approximately 135,000 employees working in about 80 countries
worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com/ for the latest news and
in-depth information about P&G and its brands. About UN
Foundation The UN Foundation, a public charity, was created in 1998
with entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner's historic $1
billion gift to support UN causes and activities. The UN Foundation
is an advocate for the UN and a platform for connecting people,
ideas, and resources to help the United Nations solve global
problems. We build partnerships, grow constituencies, mobilize
resources and advocate policy changes to support the UN's work for
individual and global progress. The UN Foundation's work - focused
on select global problems - is decreasing child mortality,
improving disaster relief, protecting diverse cultures and
environments, creating a clean energy future, empowering women and
girls, and improving U.S.-UN relations. About Water For People's
Playpump Technology Water for People's Playpump Technology is a
nonprofit organization dedicated to helping improve the lives of
children and their families by providing access to clean drinking
water, enhancing public health, and offering play equipment to
millions across Africa. Water for People's Playpump Technology has
donated PlayPump water systems to schools and communities in South
Africa, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland and Zambia. For more
information, visit http://www.playpumps.org/. About UNHCR The
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was
established on December 14, 1950 by the United Nations General
Assembly. The agency is mandated to lead and co-ordinate
international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee
problems worldwide. Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights
and well-being of refugees. It strives to ensure that everyone can
exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another
State, with the option to return home voluntarily, integrate
locally or to resettle in a third country. It also has a mandate to
help stateless people. In more than five decades, the agency has
helped tens of millions of people restart their lives. Today, a
staff of some 6,600 people in more than 110 countries continues to
help about 34 million persons. About First Ascent First Ascent is
Eddie Bauer's new line of expedition quality mountaineering gear
and apparel developed by some of the world's best mountain guides.
First Ascent will provide all of the climbing apparel and gear for
the SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT expedition. For more information, visit
firstascent.com. About Expedition Software by Windows 7 Windows 7
was designed to make your PC simple and the things you do every day
easier. Simplicity was our mantra. So when we understood from Kenna
just how difficult it was for millions around the world to access
clean drinking water, we wanted to help by bringing the performance
and reliability of Windows 7 to the expedition and help raise
awareness for the Cause. Windows 7 is proud to join our partner HP
as the official Expedition Software of SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT. HP's
Thin and Light notebooks and high-performance PC's will run Windows
7 software. Windows 7 with advanced power management technology
provides superior computing performance while extending the battery
life for portable computers -- crucial during the climb. Power
enhancement technologies significantly reduce power usage and CO2
emissions. On a global scale, Windows 7 offers consumers and
enterprises dramatic ways to reduce their environmental impact.
Learn more We support the climb for clean water and urge you to do
the same. Discover Windows 7 here About Revo In 1985, Revo began as
a small sunglass brand with a big idea: technology used by NASA was
just as suited for sunglasses as it was for telescopes and
satellites. The idea proved revolutionary, as Revo created the most
advanced polarized sunglasses on Earth. Revo continues its rich
tradition of innovation by creating the clearest and most advanced
polarized sunglasses made with Revo Polarcast(TM) technology. Revo
is also conscious of the world's social and ecological challenges,
and strives to act in a responsible and active way. Revo Re-Use(TM)
frames are one way of taking responsibility, utilizing materials
from 100 percent recycled pre-consumer polymer resins. Targeted
toward the active sport and lifestyle consumer, the 100 percent
polarized eyewear collection is available at authorized Revo retail
locations nationwide. Revo is held by the Luxottica Group (NYSE:
LUX; MTA: LUX), a Milan, Italy-based global leader in premium
fashion, luxury and sports eyewear. Additional information is
available at http://www.revo.com/.
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100112/LA36367
http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT
CONTACT: Lewis Kay, , or Joanna Cichocki, , both of PMK * BNC,
+1-310-854-4800 for SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT Web Site:
http://www.summitonthesummit.com/
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