When Sir Edmund Hillary sadly passed away in January of this year, we at The Knowledge Gym got to thinking about how we could help to keep his memory alive and honour his remarkable life.

Sir Ed’s last wish (being the humble man that he was) was that people continue his good work by contributing to his beloved Himalayan Trust. So we got in contact with the Himalayan Trust in Nepal and asked “What can we do to help out the schools Sir Ed so proudly founded?”

To be honest we thought they’d ask us to help them with computers or technology that we use in our classrooms every day. What they came back with astounded us. At the top of their ‘wish-list’? Whiteboards and Marker Pens for Every Classroom!!!! This is such a basic yet critical need that we often take for granted in our own classrooms and meeting rooms as we convey ideas, illustrate important concepts and teach new skills.

So what do they use now in Nepal? Chalk and chalkboards!!!! The old-fashioned kind that the Sherpas have to lug up steep, back-breaking mountains from Kathmandu, only to find it arrives broken, unusable and damaged by the humid environment of the mountains.

To fit-out the classrooms in Sir Ed’s schools with whiteboards and supply them with marker pens will cost NZ $12,000. Our goal is to raise that money over the next three months.

Imagine the excitement and joy on the faces of the children in these schools as they take the lid off a marker pen for the first time and brainstorm a new concept or write their first sentence on the board.

To show our commitment to this goal, The Knowledge Gym will contribute the following amounts from every new or renewed membership taken out over the period of fundraising:

• Platinum Ultra Membership $100
• Platinum Membership $50
• Gold Membership $25
• Silver Membership $10

But we can’t do it alone, we need your help! Every little bit you donate will go directly to the Himalayan Trust in Nepal to fund the purchase of whiteboards and marker pens for Sir Ed’s schools. Not only does this help facilitate new and exciting ways of learning but it also provides a long-term solution to the problem of transporting heavy chalk up the mountains every year.

So please, come on the journey with us and help honour a great man and his good work.