From humanitarian projects in East Africa to earthquake remediation work in New Zealand, brothers Tom Schellenberg and Kyle Roberts have travelled much of the globe together. The pair have not only spent numerous days exploring jungles in Tanzania and climbing mountains in Nepal, but have also extensively navigated their own backyard by way of carrying canoes deep into the wilderness for many days at a time.
In 2008 Tom, still a teenager, travelled through several countries in Africa over a 4 month period with his older brother Kyle. During this time they learned to speak some Swahili and spent 2 months in a rural part of Tanzania called Usa River which has been largely affected by poverty and disease. While volunteering for a Non-Government Organization supporting children who were orphaned, Tom and Kyle independently raised funds for malaria treatment, the supply of mosquito netting and the implementation of local community-run projects.
Following the devastating 2011 earthquakes in New Zealand, Kyle spent a year in Christchurch carrying out earthquake remediation work and volunteering with local clean up crews. During this time Kyle became a qualified rope access technician where he undertook critical repairs while dangling from enormous heights. He was largely involved in the remediation of the Christchurch Women’s Hospital as well as blasting loose and precarious cliff faces above evacuated housing developments.
Tom is the General Manager and Chief Operating Officer at Marine Drive Golf Club in Vancouver, Canada. When Tom was only 25 years old he started a charity golf tournament at Deer Ridge Golf Club that donated over $275,000 to the local community over a three year period. The tournament supported 5 local charities that were largely run by volunteers and whose mission is solely supported by events like this.
Growing up, the brothers developed a passion for wilderness camping and on dozens of occasions carried canoes from lake to lake deep into the Canadian wilderness as the indigenous people and settlers of Canada once did. In this fashion, the brothers plan to embark on their newest exciting expedition; to carry canoes up the Khumbu Valley to Mount Everest Base Camp in an initiative to fundraise for Mental Health projects that support young victims of natural disasters in Nepal.
