Tulsans Among Youngest Mt. Kilimanjaro Climbers, Raise Thousands For African School

Two Tulsa teens accomplished a couple high-altitude goals, and a whole lot more.

They climbed  Mount Kilimanjaro, and for every step — all 19,341 of them — they raised money for a school in Tanzania.

5/31/2017 Related Story: Tulsa Teens Raising Money For Children Before Climbing Kilimanjaro

Thomas Sharpe and his brother Robert are now two of the youngest people to have successfully climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa.

Of course, mom and dad, Jennifer and Tom, did it, too.

A computer was loaded with photos of the climb and the things they saw along the way.

Seven days going up and two days coming down.

This was more than a physical challenge.

The boys have classmates who came here from Tanzania and the Janada Batchelor Foundation for Children. They made this a fundraiser, too. 

"So 19,341 feet, which is the height of Kilimanjaro ... $1 a foot. I think we are at $36,000." Robert Sharpe said.

When they're done, they will have blown past their goal by maybe $20,000. So they've done it, and then some.

And they've got the T-shirts and certificates to prove it, plus something else.

The confidence that comes from challenging yourself to do something very difficult, and winning.

"If you can climb a mountain, you can do a whole lot of other stuff," Thomas Sharpe said.