By Ida Chipman Correspondent
PLYMOUTH — Twenty-one-year old Heidi Keiser, a 2007 graduate of Plymouth High School, a Lilly scholar and varsity tennis, golf and basketball player, along with four other DePauw University students — three men and a girl — are going to do something few people  have  done before.
Heidi, who has never climbed anything in her life — except out of bed —   is going on a mission to scale Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa in order to raise awareness and funds for research into pediatric brain cancer.

“There are three beneficiaries of our winter project,” Heidi said. “Riley Children’s Foundation, The Children’s Brain Tumor Foundation and b.r.a.i.n. child.
“We are passionately dedicated to help children affected by this disease and have pledged ourselves to raise money for research and care.”
“People can donate on line through  www.climbforacure.com or send checks to my home: 11350 Crocus Court, Plymouth, IN 46563.”
The Climb for a Cure Kilimanjaro 2010 group is a newly formed not-for-profit organization on the De-Pauw campus with 20 to 30 active members.
The project which  goes from an altitude of 797-ft. (in Plymouth) to 19,341 ft. at the Uhuru Peak will take place longer than 18 days, to and  from the Indian-apolis National Airport, Jan. 3 to Jan. 20, 2010.
Heidi, a junior at DePauw, is not worried about her total lack of experience for the climb.
“It’s basically an exertion climb,” she said, “without the technical part of climbing.
“We don’t have to hold on to rocks or anything,” she said.
The DePauw quintet will start training on Oct. 26 to get in good physical and cardio- shape.
“We’ll be running and biking throughout the weeks before the trip,” Heidi said.
She pointed out that Southern Indiana has plenty of good hills for training and that they will be spending six to eight hours on the weekends getting ready for the African terrain.
She is hoping to raise the $4,000 just for her individual climb through sponsors.
Heidi has none of the gear necessary for the trip which includes, boots, rucksacks, sturdy clothing, trekking poles, and other items.
“We’re told to get our boots well broken in,” she said, “so that blisters will not be a problem.”
Heidi’s parents, Steve and Lori Keiser, “are very supportative,” Heidi said, “even though the thought of their baby going so far away has them a little concerned.”
Carrying a double major in economics and psychology, Heidi’s plans after graduation are to attend law school or graduate school in psychology.
While on the eight-day climb (up and down) she will be doing an independent study documenting the mood effects of high altitudes on the climbers: “I want to see what happens when the giddiness in the euphoria stage sets in and when  irritability and fat-igue take over.”
Heidi is very excited about the trip.
“I have heard that it is a wonderful experience,” she said.  “And after the climb, we will be going on a safari, something that is a given when you go to Africa. You just can’t go to Africa and not do that. ”