Article from The Journal News January 11, 2008
"Cortlandt Man Aiming High"
By Rick Carpiniello
Most people, on their birthdays, blow out the candles and
make a wish.
For his 50th birthday, Howard Goldstein of Cortlandt Manor is going to grant some wishes.
Actually,
Goldstein's birthday isn't until October. But he had planned for years that, to celebrate his 50th year, he would try to climb
Mount Kilimanjaro.
Then he got involved - very involved - with the Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Hudson Valley, and
decided to link his climb to the charity. So he and a couple of friends took off yesterday for Amsterdam and a connecting
flight scheduled to arrive in Tanzania on Sunday, to begin a seven-day trip to the summit.
There is no guarantee he
will make it, and he knows that.
"Hopefully I will make the summit on the morning of the 19th and get to see the sun
rise from the tallest mountain in Africa, 19,340 feet," Goldstein said.
But the bigger hope is that he continues to
get pledges, which he is remarkably matching dollar-for-dollar from his own pocket.
To grant a wish for a child with
a life-threatening disease, the average cost is $7,500. Goldstein had hoped to raise enough to grant two wishes, or $15,000,
including his own match. Well, so far that number has doubled to about $15,000 pledged and $15,000 matched. One of the donations
was for $7,500 from a business associate Goldstein hadn't seen in years. It turned out that associate's child had had a wish
granted.
"I sent out a letter to all the people on my contact list and I reached out and I was absolutely blown away,
overwhelmed, with the response that I've gotten," Goldstein said.
The foundation will be happy to accept more, and
Goldstein will be happy to match more.
"One of the reasons he's getting such great feedback, in his e-mail out (to
friends, family and business associates), he said the challenge that he's going to face for that seven days climbing to the
peak is nothing compared to the challenges that the wish kids and the wish families have to deal with on a daily basis," said
Tom Conklin, the president and CEO of the Hudson Valley chapter.
"I think what he put into words just struck such
a chord with his friends that they said, 'My God, he's put it in perfect context.' His climb will be over when he reaches
the summit and comes home, and these families will have to deal with whatever they're dealing with on a daily basis. His words
just resonated with those people."
Goldstein is passionate about Make-A-Wish, which asks children with life-threatening
illnesses four questions: What would you like to do? Where would you like to go? Whom would you like to meet? What would you
like to have? The organization then tries to grant one of those wishes, whatever the cost. The Hudson Valley chapter grants
about 130 wishes a year.
Goldstein's involvement with Make-A-Wish began in 2006 when he helped organize a benefit
that raised $50,000 to help pay the medical costs for 10-year-old Jack McGuire, the son of a friend, Dennis McGuire. Jack
had fought leukemia from the time he was 4, and had been granted a wish, a trip to Disneyworld, by the foundation. That inspired
Goldstein - who is now a board director, a member of the business council, and a wish-granter - and he sent a local girl named
Victoria on a family trip to Disneyworld, as her wish from the Goldsteins, last week.
So combining that passion with
his love of climbing was a natural for Goldstein, a Yonkers native who, along with two partners, runs a venture capital investment
company in New York City. He has relatives in the Adirondacks and has often climbed there - he's in the early stages of trying
to qualify as a ''46er,'' or somebody who's scaled all 46 Adirondack peaks of 4,000 feet or more.
Goldstein, his wife,
Neva, a yoga instructor whose expertise has helped Howard stay in shape and train for his coming climb, and their two kids
often travel together with the family of Gary Mullins, a friend (and a black belt in karate) from Bethesda, Md., and one of
those going on the Kilimanjaro climb. (Mullins' buddy David Anderson, a world-class swimmer from Pittsburgh, is the other).
They've done climbs and white-water rafting and other outdoor stuff in places like Portugal, Costa Rica and Nova Scotia.
But
this is new and more challenging. Goldstein spends hours in the gym every day, doing cardio and weight-training exercises,
- "and I really believe one of the reasons I might be able to make this (climb) is the yoga, because it's really helped me
with my flexibility," he said.
Kilimanjaro isn't like Mount Everest, though. It's more of an uphill hike than a climb.
"Everest is 29,000 feet," Goldstein said. "This is 10,000 less than that. Everest, you need technical expertise, you
need the clamp-on spikes and the ropes, axes, the whole nine yards. Here you don't. It's more of a trek, a long, difficult
trek. I'm not going to take a shower for seven days."
They will go through six different and distinct ecosystems,
starting in 90-degree jungle heat, and ending at the icy top, and have to deal with the effects of altitude changes. The climbers
will have taken malaria medication and all sorts of inoculations. The group will be accompanied by sherpas - local guides/porters
who assist the climb and the carrying of utensils and equipment.
"Frankly, I don't know if I'm going to make it, and
I worry about that," Goldstein said, "especially given what I'm going through now with the raising money. But I said in my
letter, 'I'm going to attempt ...' "
He has been told that, by the year 2020, the ice caps on the top of Kilimanjaro
will be gone, victims of global warming.
That inspires him to reach the summit, too.
Of course, there are
a lot of people, and more than a couple of kids, who will say he's already done that.
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Article from North County News January 9, 2008
By Patrick Boisi
Most who have hiked Mount Kiliminjaro, an inactive volcano located in north-eastern Tanzania, do it for the thrill of conquering
the 19,340 foot behemoth and to, subsequently, say they did it.
However, Howard Goldstein, a resident of Cortlandt Manor, plans to scale the peak for a more honorable cause: to grant the
wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions.
Goldstein is a board director, business council member and wish granter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Hudson Valley,
a not-for-profit organization that seeks to better the lives of sick children with “wishes,” bringing them hope,
strength and joy.
Goldstein is a partner and co-founder of Vedanta Capital, a venture capital investment firm based in Manhattan.
He moved to Cortlandt Manor from Yonkers because he “wanted something a little more rural.”
“I love the north side of Westchester,” he said.
From his house a week before he embarks to Europe and then Africa, Goldstein said he got involved with the Make-A-Wish foundation
in a few ways.
Along with his wife, Neva, Goldstein raised a daughter, Rebecca and a son, Jesse.
Both are healthy and Goldstein said he realized some children aren’t so lucky.
“I got involved because I wanted to do something with kids,” Goldstein said. “I have two healthy kids and
I wanted to give back. Sick kids can’t fend for themselves.”
Goldstein also had first-hand experience with raising money for the less fortunate.
The Cortlandt Manor resident is a self-proclaimed basketball enthusiast.
He plays pickup games on the weekend with his buddies, one of which was Dennis McGuire, the father of Jack, who succumbed
to Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia on March 29, 2007.
Jack was diagnosed with the illness in 2000.
To help cover the McGuire family’s insurance costs, Goldstein and friends put on a basketball tourney and barbecue in
September of 2006.
Goldstein said he and his friends expected to raise about $5,000. In the end, the figure was over $50,000.
“After that, I got to thinking, why not get involved in a more organized fashion?” said Goldstein.
One of Goldstein’s mentors suggested he talk to a friend that sat on Make-A-Wish’s board development committee.
Goldstein was introduced to Make-A-Wish CEO Tom Conklin and the rest is history, he said.
“He has this way that he instills passion in his staff,” Goldstein said of the CEO. “These are not just
people that are writing checks and showing up at board meetings once a year.
They really roll up their sleeves and do work. I liked what I saw.”
And granting wishes truly does help the sick children’s disposition, Goldstein added.
Whether they want to spend a day as a superhero, have a treehouse in their backyard or meet a celebrity, the wishes, in Goldstein’
words, give them “hope, strength and joy.”
“We always say, ‘the doctors provide the medicine and make a wish provides the magic,’” Goldstein
said with a smile.
It was originally Goldstein’s plan to raise enough money—$15,000—for two wishes with the hike of Kiliminjaro,
$7,500 through private, tax-deductible donations and the rest with Goldstein and his wife matching dollar-for-dollar.
In December, Goldstein sent out a letter to all of the contacts in his rolodex—“I have a lot after nearly 50 years,”
he laughed—asking them to consider making gifts in any amount to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Hudson Valley.
The response has been fantastic, he said.
As of January 8, Goldstein generated $14,000, meaning by the time all is said and done, the family should be able to provide
four children with wishes.
“I have all the confidence in the world we will generate enough for four wishes,” Goldstein said. “I got
a response from someone in my rolodex I haven’t seen for five to seven years who said, ‘I’m going to do
a whole wish,’ It really feels great.”
Goldstein leave for Europe on January 10 with two friends, Gary Mullins of Bethesda, Maryland and Gary Mullins and David Anderson
of Pittsburgh.
The trio plans to arrive in Tanzania on January 13, begin the climb on January 14 and reach the summit by January 19.
“The goal is to see the sunrise and make our way slowly down,” Goldstein said.
In order to prepare for the taxing climb, Goldstein has undergone intense physical training.
He does cardio six times per week, plays full-court pick-up basketball and does Yoga two times per week.
“I’ve really picked up the intensity of my workouts. I would have been on one of those if you weren’t here
right now,” Goldstein said with a laugh as he waved his hand at three cardio machines. “I also walk the dogs on
the trails around town. I’m mixing it up.”
However, no amount of physical preparation can stop altitude sickness, from which many climbers of “Kili” suffer
because of the high elevation.
“I’m nervous. I don’t know what to expect with that,” said Goldstein. ‘You can be an 18-year-old
in perfect shape and be devastated by it.”
Overall, though, Goldstein is confident an excited about his upcoming journey.
“It’s a great feeling,” he said.
Those interested in making donations can still do so. Tax-deductible contributions can be sent to: The Wish House, 832 South
Broadway, Tarrytown, N.Y., 10591.
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