Amawalk Man to Climb Etna for International Fundraiser: WATCH

In 2006 on Mont Blanc, Enzo Simone of Amawalk NY started the “10 Mountains 10 Years” project to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease with a team of 9 international climbers.

His team, which is called “the Regulars,” has since grown to become one of the largest of its kind. To date, 10M10Y has gained over 300 teammates, and inspired a number of off-shoot awareness projects.

It has also been the subject of a feature film documentary called “10 Mountains 10 Years” featuring Anne Hathaway (narration), Bruce Springsteen (soundtrack), and Leeza Gibbons (introduction). Leeza Gibbons is the current winner of 2015 Donald Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice.

The “10 Mountains 10 Years” film earned 28 film awards and also inspired the creation of two additional films. In Valencia Spain on June 1 was the theatrical premiere of “Que Tiemble el Camino,” a Spanish documentary about Parkinson’s disease which both Simone & Capitanio took part in.

On July 11, the team may likely expand to collectively over 600 people from around the world who will unite and challenge themselves to climbing Mount Etna – the highest and most active volcano in Europe.

In order to create the “Ambassador Project,” Simone - founder of the “10 Mountains 10 Years” project, joined forces with two great European Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s advocates. Fulvio Capitanio of Spain is the founder of the “Run for Parkinson’s” world-wide event. Salvatore Buccoleri of Italy is the founder of “Associazioni Familiari Alzheimer Caltanisetta” two adult day centers in Sicily.

The three forged a union of advocates from three different countries. Together pushing toward altruism, self- sufficiency and self-representation, the three believe that they can and have raised awareness for the cause in a grassroots effort more efficiently executed than the existing top heavy charity organizations found in the USA and Europe today.

For example on a near zero budget Capitanio created “Run for Parkinson’s” now going on its sixth year in 12 countries, and more than 100 cities across the globe. Run for Parkinson’s has been attended by more than 200 thousand people who have collectively walked and run over 1 million kilometers. Collectively this event is the largest of its kind in Europe & South America and rivals New York’s Parkinson’s Unity Walk (in scale).

Likewise the “10 Mountains 10 Years” project has grown and succeeded in spite of never having financial sponsors.

Simone says, “Everyone who has joined us has come voluntarily, paying their own way, and cultivating their own grassroots awareness effort among their peers.”

“The mountain is more than physical, it’s a metaphor for reaching goals in health, personal achievement, research, and finding cures.” said Simone. “Once a person understands their role in conquering these diseases, the effort becomes clear. We’re not politicians, doctors, researchers, or other health officials. We’re patients and family of those affected, so our role is as advocates. This role puts us on the front line of this battle to save ourselves. The small goal is to climb mountains together. The big goal with the “10 Mountains 10 Years Ambassador Project” is to unite people to stand for themselves, represent themselves, improve their lives from the inside out, and conquer these diseases.”

This project gives advocates, care givers and those struggling with disease the chance to face the mountain as a challenge they can work toward winning one step at a time. They see Mount Etna as the physical form of everything that challenges them in life, and say “If I can conquer the volcano I can conquer anything in life, and if I can do this then science can find the cures we’re looking for.” In the months leading up to the climb, they will train to improve their health and stamina, which will also improve their chances of reaching the top. Team members will also engage the public via news & social media in their own personal Alzheimer’s & Parkinson’s awareness campaigns. Essentially they become ambassadors of the cause from their own local communities to those they meet from other communities around the world.

It is estimated that 5.3 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease. Unless a cure is found, the number of individuals with Alzheimer’s in the USA could range from 11.3 million to 16 million by 2050. Around the world the number of people struggling with Alzheimer’s is estimated at 44 million. Alzheimer’s is the 6th. leading cause of death in the USA, it cannot be prevented, or slowed and there is no cure.

Today an estimated 7 to 10 million people worldwide are living with Parkinson’s disease, and 40% of those people are under the age of sixty. Over the course of this year 60,000 new cases will be diagnosed in the USA. There is also no cure for Parkinson’s.

Goals of the Ambassador Project:

• To unite & conquer Alzheimer’s & Parkinson’s disease.
• To raise awareness for both Alzheimer s & Parkinson s Disease by focusing attention on each and sharing advocates personal experiences with both the local and the global community.
• To create a sense of comradery among advocates, patients & caregivers around the world. Regardless of nationality, race, and religion we are all in this great quest to find the cures together.
• To climb & reach the top of Mount Etna, the highest active volcano in Europe with an impressive 300 Alzheimer’s & Parkinson’s disease advocates / activists from 3 countries.

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