SongShine founder to trek Mt. Kilimanjaro summit to support organization
The founder of local nonprofit “SongShine” is gearing up for the hike of a lifetime.
After nearly 12 years running “SongShine,” 76-year-old Ruthanna Metzgar is hoping a 42-mile trek up Mount Kilimanjaro will raise enough money to hire more people to carry on the legacy of the foundation that uses music to help people with neurological disorders learn to talk again.
“I want more and more people to know about SongShine and as I do this trek I want to honor the people in our class who have not been afraid to come to class to learn to sing to learn and regain vocabulary through exercises and who have been climbing their own mountain,” Metzgar told News Channel 3. “Every person in our class is climbing a mountain,” she added.
Metzgar will hike through five climate zones and over 19,000 feet into the sky. She is funding the trek herself but all money raised for each 1,000 vertical feet she climbs will go towards SongShine projects and hiring more people to eventually take over SongShine. So far she has raised almost $18,000 for SongShine.
SongShine uses music to help people with Parkinson’s disease, stroke victims, people with tremors and any other neurological disorder strengthen their voice.
You can find their website using this link here.
