Niles North alumnus, Howard Zavell, along with his two sons, Max, 15, and Ben, 12, will embark on a journey this December which will pit them against one of the world’s highest summits, Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa. Zavell is also connected to Niles North through his wife, Anne Zavell, who is a Special Ed teacher and Theatre Department production assistant.

In preparation for the nearly 20,000 foot climb, the Zavells have been undergoing rigorous cross- and stair climbing-training for the past 15 months; they also have been hiking to condition themselves for the climb.

“We’ll have a lot of opportunity to interact and see how those cultures and tribes live,” says Howard Zavell.  While in Africa, the family will also be visiting some of the neighboring villages to experience the lifestyle there.

Zavell has been training with his former Niles North coach, Seymour Rifkind. “In my opinion, he was the greatest coach; not only because he was a great technician, but also because he understands people and why we participate in athletics.” Rifkin is using his experience climbing Mount Kilimanjaro 20 years ago to advise the family on their upcoming climb.

The Zavells will be using this trip to raise money for the charity Magen David Adom, which translates into “Red Star” in English. The organization is affiliated with the Red Cross and operates in Israel. In an attempt to maintain politically neutral, it treats everyone, whether Palestinian or Israeli. The family got involved in supporting the charity because they realized the importance of foreign aid to the area. “Unlike here, where the government supports ambulance services, it’s all privately funded in Israel,” says Anne Zavell.

The Zavells are raising money to purchase an ambulance, which costs around $100,000.  Readers  can contribute to the fundraiser at http://opclimbmda.com/