Penny Oleksiak is taking some time away from the pool, but it’s for a good reason: to raise money for the less fortunate.
The seven-time Olympic medallist swimmer is climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania later this month to raise funds for Thrive For Good.
Oleksiak wrote in a post on Instagram announcing the climb that she wants to “raise money to combat global hunger and malnutrition, a crisis that has reached unprecedented levels.
Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest single free-standing mountain above sea level in the world.
“Thrive for Good is directly impacting communities, helping them move towards food security and improved health by providing them with the knowledge of and access to sustainable and nutritious farming. I feel so lucky to be doing this,” Oleksiak continued.
Those interested in donating can check out the fundraiser here, with the Magnesium Awareness organization Natural Calm matching up to the first 50,000 donations.
“Our mission is to empower these communities to grow their own nutritious food, sustainably. Together, we can combat global hunger and malnutrition, a crisis that has reached unprecedented levels,” the fundraiser’s description reads.
Oleksiak plans to begin the climb on September 28 and finish on October 5.
Oleksiak actually planned to do the climb in 2022, but put it off after injury.
One of Canada’s most iconic Olympians, Oleksiak competed at her third Games this past summer at age 24 but was held off the podium. She did not qualify in any individual events but was a member of two Canadian relay teams.
“Thank you so much to all my sponsors and supporters through this Olympics, without them, I wouldn’t [have] even been here after my last couple years,” Oleksiak wrote in a recent Instagram post. “Thank you to everyone who sent kind messages, they mean more than you know as I’ve been processing this Olympic run.”
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