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One-Legged Boy To Climb Kilimanjaro For Charity

Climb Will Raise Money For Wheelchairs

POSTED: 3:42 pm EDT August 23, 2007
UPDATED: 6:38 pm EDT August 23, 2007

In a few days a young teen from Concord will face the challenge of a lifetime. Nicolai Calabria, born with only one leg, wants to climb Mount Kilimanjaro -- one of the world's tallest mountains.

NewsCenter Five's Pam Cross reported that every step of his journey will help someone less fortunate get a wheelchair.

Calabria, 13, is a center forward on the Concord-Carlisle traveling soccer team, he loves diving and skiing and hiking. He excels despite only having one leg. Calabria and his father are ready to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa.

Calabria and his father trained by climbing in New England. Calabria wants to raise $25,000 for the group Free Wheelchair Mission. If they do, 550 low-cost wheelchairs will go to the disabled in Tanzania

Calabria, who loves music and sports, is fit. His father said climbing more than 19,000 feet will be tough.

If all goes well, Calabria will miss only the first few days of seventh-grade because of his climb.

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