Prasatt Arumugam, a 26-year-old teacher, is one of the 4,862 people in the world to finish the arduous Pacific-Crest Trail. Better yet, he’s the first Singaporean to complete the 4,280km journey between Canada and Mexico — it’s one of the globe’s longest and toughest treks. And he did all this for charity.
Last July, Prasatt quit his job as a teacher in the private sector and trained for six months before embarking on his solo trip for TrekInvicta, a social initiative founded by him in support of the Children’s Cancer Foundation. For every mile (1.61km) he travelled, he wanted to raise $10 for the non-profit organisation — that would total up to more than $26,000. The hike cost about $13,000, and taking away $3,000 from the National University of Singapore Society and $5,000 from the National Youth Council, the rest was self-funded.
Going by the nickname of ‘Raccoon’ (he trekked with a raccoon stuffed toy on his shoulder), Prasatt met more than 50 people who helped him along the way, according to TODAY. With the support of his loved ones back home, he succeeded in conquering the months-long formidable trail with Herculean effort — a very impressive feat indeed.
Prasatt expects to raise a total of $50,000 for the CCF through this campaign, which will come to a close by the end of January. So far, he has raised $44,966, so if you’re keen on donating, check out his GIVEasia site. All proceeds will go to CCF to help improve the quality of life for children with cancer and their families.
