Kevin Cherilla and Kristen Salcito on the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro - June 29, 2009
Kristen and Kevin first met in March of 2009 when Kevin was training a team to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. This was a unique group of 25 people from Phoenix, AZ that included 8 blind individuals representing the Foundation for Blind Children. Kevin asked Kristen to lead a blind climber to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Following their record breaking and historic climb, in which all 25 teammates made the summit and broke four world records, Kevin and Kristen decided to combine their talents and start K2 Adventures Foundation, Inc.
Kevin Cherilla is best known as a prominent businessman, an international mountain guide, philanthropist, and motivational speaker.
In
2004, Kevin started KC Summits, LLC, an adventure organization that engages all
individuals in challenging themselves while reaching their goals around the
world. Many of his clients have
individual disabilities such as blindness, paralysis, and muscular
dystrophy. His teammates have
ranged in age from 11 to 80 years old and have had a phenomenal success rate of
over 90%.
Kevin has led expeditions on six continents and over 20 countries. His teams have been featured on the front cover of TIME, Outside, Climbing, and Weekly Reader magazines, and on the Oprah Winfrey Show, Jay Leno, and many world news programs including CNN. He served as base camp manager for the National Federation of the Blind 2001 Everest Expedition in which Erik Weihenmayer became the first and only blind person to summit Mt. Everest. Six years later, on June 5, 2007, Kevin fulfilled one of his life long dreams and personally reached the summit of Mt. Everest.
Kevin is a prominent speaker and has addressed hundreds of international corporations, foundations, universities, and schools. His presentations include breath-taking expedition photos and award winning video footage of overcoming challenges, building motivation, and reaching individual and team goals.
Kevin earned his bachelors degree in exercise physiology from John Carroll University in 1991. Kevin is a proud father of two and husband to Jennifer since 1990.
Kristen Salcito is best known as a philanphropist and business woman. Kristen started her first non-profit in 1993 while teaching in the Wisconsin public school district.
She noticed the startling number of children who had no jackets or mittens for school, and Circle of Friends--her first non-profit--was born. Since 1996, the program has provided winter coats and attire for the underprivileged in the Wisconsin community.
In 2003, Salcito founded her second non-profit Visions of Hope in Scottsdale, which contributes 100 percent of its funds to organizations such as Whispering Hope Ranch, The Arizona Humane Society, Hacienda HealthCare, and The Friend Playground Club, a division of SARRC. In 2008, Kristen and a partner founded Swank, a shop-for-a-cause retailer in Scottsdale where a percentage of proceeds always goes to local charities.
Kristen earned her bachelors degree in Education from Arizona State University in 1992 and went on to receive her masters degree from Cardinal Stritch University in 1997. Kristen is the proud mother of four sons and wife to Jeff since 2006.
