Change the World Films Launches the Climb a Mountain Challenge™ for Dementia
We are very excited to announce the launch of a two-year fundraising and awareness project here at Change the World Films, aptly named The Climb a Mountain Challenge™. We kicked off Spring 2025 with an awesome, enthusiastic group of volunteers participating in the challenge launch, in nearly a dozen cities in five countries around the world.
Click here to watch the two launch videos and learn more.
WHY “CLIMB A MOUNTAIN?”
The idea for this challenge came to me when out hiking up one of my favorite mountains here in Phoenix, using a little quiet time to think about the frontotemporal dementia documentary we’re working on currently.
Right out of the blue Arizona sky it hit me… how hiking up a mountain serves as a perfect analogy for the daily life that caregivers of dementia patients live through. With all the attention we focus (rightly so) on dementia patients themselves, it’s easy to forget the other victims of the disease and the daily struggles they endure.
For a caregiver, many days feel like they wake up, hike a difficult mountain, and then fall asleep that night, only to endure the same climb once again the next day (it’s a bit reminiscent of the Myth of Sisyphus, if you’re familiar with the famous work from Albert Camus). It can take a strength many don’t even know they have until it’s needed.
That desert epiphany quickly morphed into a full blown fundraising and awareness boosting effort, affectionately known as The Climb a Mountain Challenge™. I returned home from the hike and immediately started contacting both our Board and our Veritas Advisory Committee members to brainstorm and more fully flesh out the idea.
So here we are, not even three months later, with the project launching and ready to help us land the large impact on the world of dementia we’re focusing over the next two years.
A BIG, HEARTFELT “THANK YOU” TO…
I want to give heartfelt thanks to all of our volunteers from around the world who stepped up to help make this happen. I’m grateful to all of you for the push to get the challenge launched, knowing that some of you gave up your Saturday mornings, braved the cold, pushed yourselves physically, scouted out some incredible locations, and more.
It’s that passion that inspires and keeps us all going to make a difference, no matter what it takes, so thanks goes out to:
Lewis Walton
Rodney Smith
Amy Peterson
Jillian McArdle
Dawn Edmonds
Fox Bonilla
Erin Bonilla
Todd Boyce
Rick L.
Tiffany Sica
Flora Scott
Lindsey Kear
Caden Pope
Spencer Battersby
Susan Menezes
Morgan Menezes
AND A LITTLE BONUS…
Also, with the challenge launch, we’re starting a monthly giveaway, sending out one of these each month to a randomly-drawn winner from all of the participants in the challenge to date.
And just for clarity, these are a personal gift from me, free from the Change the World Films budget, so everyone can enjoy their mugs guilt-free (the only way we do it).
We’ll be adding them to the site here for purchase as well at some point if people want that, so just make sure to let us know if so.
Our winner for May 2025 is… Fox Bonilla! Congratulations Fox!
We’ll be back with another random winner in June.
Thanks again everyone, appreciate you all!
