Austin’s Kids Match to support K2 Adventures Foundation

K2 Adventures Foundation is pleased to offer Austin’s Kids Match which financially rewards kids who raise money and/or items for K2’s various efforts. The fund started by the Mendez Family is managed by Austin who will personally oversee the matching process. K2 is proud to introduce you to Austin…

Hello, my name is Austin Mendez. I am a sophomore at Notre Dame Preparatory High School in Scottsdale, Arizona. Like many of you, we are tasked with giving back to the community through volunteer hours and I started mine with a great organization called K2 Adventures Foundation and have been supporting them for the past 2 years.

But first, I want to tell you a little bit about me - my favorite sport is basketball and I play competitively for my high school. I like to snowboard, skim board, and attend rap and alternative concerts. Music is a passion and artists on my playlist include Wiz Khalifa, The Expendables, and Rage Against the Machine. In my free time, I like to watch The Simpsons, Tosh.0, and Family Guy. And believe it or not I am soon to be an uncle for the second time!

So why K2? It’s simple – their mission… they provide resources for children and families with special needs, both here at home and abroad. My most memorable K2 charitable experiences have been traveling to other countries including the mountainous region of Machu Picchu, Peru (in 2010) and most recently (July of 2011); I had the distinct privilege of traveling to Tanzania, Africa which included a safari and volunteer work at the Mwereni Integrated School for the Blind.

Located in Moshi, Tanzania, the Mwereni School consists of 600 students, 84 of which are blind or suffer from albinism. The purpose of our trip was to inaugurate a medical center and to administer medical care to over 200 children that had never before seen a doctor. Due to our efforts, we are certain we saved the lives of 32 children who were deathly sick. What an amazing thing!

Because of these experiences with K2, I have created “Austin’s Match” to provide financial incentive to other kids and young adults like me, who actively practice volunteering their time, fundraising and supporting those less fortunate than ourselves. This match is to further support K2’s mission and for every dollar you raise for K2, I will match a % of your funds – hopefully 100%.

Here’s how this works…

• Raise awareness and monies for K2 Adventures Foundation through their events as well as other ideas that you might have…please know, that you can also raise items like shoes, socks, etc., - see the list of needed items, and we’ll match product to product or the dollar value.
• Next, complete the “Austin’s Match” request from below/attached. I will do my best to respond generally within 48 hours.
• Once your match is confirmed, you can decide where you want the funds/product to go within K2. You can select local activities or various international efforts – either way, it’s helping kids.
• Lastly, we will make the donation and the match in your name and post it on our Facebook page!

All of us associated with the K2 Foundation are grateful for your time and effort! Together we can do great things for kids all over the world!

Onward to our next Adventure,

Austin!