No Sight, No Problem - The Blind Mount Kili Climb

A CHALLENGE OF A LIFETIME

On September 1, 2020, Lori Fry, Jim Vinson and their guide Arlette Heck will begin an eight day Trek up Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa.

Representing British Columbia and Alberta, Lori, Jim and Arlette are the western members of this national team, "Team Limitless," and have agreed to join other low vision and blind participants and their sighted guides from across Canada to accept this 2020 Blind Challenge.
 Learn more about Team Limitless: www.teamlimitless.ca.

Although each team member has their own personal reason(s) for accepting the challenge, collectively, the team will demonstrate the ability to overcome adversities while providing inspiration, hope and empowerment to others dealing with vision loss, blindness or other life challenges.

The year “2020” is an unique opportunity to bring attention to healthy vision, vision loss and discovering life with blindness and Mount Kilimanjaro is the perfect platform to demonstrate that reaching for the stars is achievable. Team members hope that this trek helps provide educational insight to others  regarding vision loss and the ability to overcome its related challenges.   Additionally, the team would like to promote the prevention of vision loss through good eye health care and preservation of 20/20 vision. Although “hind sight” always seems to be 20/20, don’t wait until it is too late for an eye test.

Lori and Jim have been active advocates in the low vision and blind community for many years.

Their involvement in adaptive sports, public events, peer counseling and fundraising as members of the 100 Mile House & District Blind and Visually Impaired White Cane Club has helped to provide the Cariboo region with a valuable community resource since 1991.




Team Limitless is now seeking contributions through sponsorships and donations to help raise funds to support their quest to conquer Mount Kili.

Lori, Jim and Arlette would like to thank their first sponsors:

Dr. Neil Vanderhorst, 100 Mile Vision Care.

Members of this team are also fundraising for ­Camp Abilities -  a sports camp for children with visual impairments. Donations collected in excess of expenses for the Mount Kilimanjaro hike will be directed towards Camp Abilities. Learn more about the organization here: www.campabilities.org. Canadian Paralympian, Terry Kelly has been instrumental in establishing the first Camp Abilities in conjunction with the CNIB at Lake Joseph in Ontario. New locations of Camp Abilities are to be established in Nova Scotia and British Columbia.

Meet the 2020 Team

Lori Fry, 2019.

Lori is a 58 year old mother of two young adult children and lives in 100 Mile House, British Columbia, Canada.
For many years, she has promoted and demonstrated healthy living  through her involvement with water aerobics, blind curling  and other activities. She has always enjoyed cycling and ice skating as well as walking   or hiking.

Struggling with deteriorating vision since birth due to a hereditary retinal disorder which has left her with one percent sight, Lori left her employment with the federal government  in the late 1980’s, began raising a  family and joined the Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB) in 1991.  She has  spent the past twenty eight years volunteering her time with this national charity at all three levels; local, provincial and national. She was a member of the CCB BC-Yukon Division Board of Directors  until just recently having served seventeen consecutive years, ten of which were served at the same time on the CCB National Board of Directors.

Lori remains actively involved with the local CCB 100 Mile House & District Blind and Visually Impaired White Cane Club and  continues to assist the chapter with a variety of tasks including fundraising, event planning  and peer mentoring.

As a result of being a very active volunteer for both the CCB and other endeavours in her local community, Lori has earned the BC Community Achievement Award in 2009, the CCB White Cane Person of the Year for 2010, the 2015 Governor General of Canada’s Sovereign's Medal for Volunteers and most recently, the Cathy McLeod Member of

Lori continues her quest to “Master the Art of Blindness” with grace and dignity along  with the use of technology for the blind. Learning how to use assistive devices  contributes to her ability  to conquer some of the challenges of vision loss as well as   enhance  her ability to volunteer her time to charitable causes.

Lori says:

“The Mount Kili Trek will be a challenge and an opportunity of a lifetime. I feel privileged to have been invited on this journey and thank all supporters in advance for helping Team Limitless raise awareness and funds for blind and visually impaired youth.”

James Vinson, 2019.

Jim is a 65 year old father of four grown daughters as well as a grandfather to Clayton and has another grandchild on the way. Jim currently resides in 100 Mile House, British Columbia, Canada.

Jim enjoys a wide variety of activities including curling, hiking and fishing. He especially enjoys dining out and visiting warm locations. His interest in photography has resulted in many successful photos in his Blind Visions series; some of which he has donated to the Mt. Kilimanjaro Team Limitless Trek fundraising calendar.

While Jim was raising his family, he was employed with the Town of Smithers, and subsequently the City of Vernon and eventually relocated to Vancouver.

Due to a work injury, Jim was in the process of becoming an accountant when his vision failed and he became legally blind in his early forties. He went on to become involved with blind curling and volunteering for the Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB).

In the earlier years, Jim’s involvement in curling led to a first and second place trophy in the western championships. He later relocated to 100 Mile House and was instrumental   in establishing a blind curling team  and as the team skip, led the Vinson rink to two provincial first place victories  and another western title in 2019.

Jim is an active member and volunteer of the 100 Mile House & District Blind and Visually Impaired White Cane Club and along with other members, has  given up most of his Sundays over the past  few years in order to  help raise funds for the White Cane Club through the collaboration with the local Cedar Crest Thrift Store.

Jim says:

"The Mount Kilimanjaro Trek is a great opportunity to  push myself to new limits. I feel very grateful to have been asked to join this group of blind and visually impaired Canadians to tackle this endeavour.” 

Arlette Heck, 2019.

Arlette says:  "First I would like to personally thank Terry Kelly & Lori Fry for inviting me to accompany them as a sighted guide & personal friend to hike  Mount Kilimanjaro with them, an honour and an amazing quest it will be.  Thank you!"

I was born sometime in the sixties and raised in the farming community of Bluesky Alberta.  This is where my great grandparents immigrated to Canada from Muenchen Russia in 1913 and settled on a farm in 1915, in the area of Fridenstal/Bluesky, where land was plentiful at 160 acres for $10.00.  Today this area has been deemed a historical site.

Due to family decisions I was also raised in the heart of the Rocky Mountains,  Revel stoke, BC Where there is only none other than the freshest scent of pine trees in the air.  This has given me the best of the western Canadian provinces that I am delighted and respectfully able to call both of these 2 great provinces home.  I have also lived in Oberschopfheim Germany & Oromocto NB.  Currently I am living  in Granum, the smallest town in Alberta

To further my life  I have raised 1 son along with a great village (Lori was a wonderful help ) and he has since graduated from Mount Royal University in Calgary AB with honours and is a great gentleman and  pilot today. 

I have had many years in various schooling & employment positions. From the local fast food server to the CAO (Chief Administrative Officer) of a seniors facility. I have volunteered most of my life in various positions, but most cherished is being a sight guide for Lori and her community, of 100 Mile House BC,  where my son and I did reside for 10 years.  I believe that with this diverse history I have accumulated  the ability to be in all walks of life (no pun intended) celebrating, learning, appreciating all cultures, and challenges.  It's a wonderful life on this earth the calling to enjoy another soulful journey has begun.  Love for Kilimanjaro!

Jim Vinson and Lori Fry, 2019. Getting Fit for the 2020 Climb.


Contact: [email redacted]