The Patchworks Mission

This memoir chronicles the journey from an everyday Brunswick classroom to Africa's highest peak during a cancer battle. Written during chemotherapy, it captures the raw truth that our biggest failures often lead to our most meaningful purposes, and it planted the seed for everything Patchworks has become.

When I couldn't summit Kilimanjaro, a visit to the Moshi Kids Centre changed the entire trajectory of what Patchworks would become. This Tanzanian school provides education, nutrition, and care to vulnerable children in the Kilimanjaro region — and it's the heart of everything we do. If you want to understand Patchworks, start here.

Maine's largest newspaper covered how a Brunswick special education teacher turned a mountain setback into a nonprofit mission serving Tanzanian students — capturing the heart of the Patchworks origin story and proving local organizations can think globally. Read the Portland Press Herald feature on Patchworks Inc.

Kivo Daily profiled the full Patchworks origin story, from losing both parents to cancer through the Kilimanjaro attempt and the founding of the nonprofit. The piece captures how grief became a catalyst for global education work in Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

World Reporter covered the Patchworks founding story, highlighting the connection between a cancer diagnosis, a failed summit, and the decision to serve Tanzanian educators. The article details how a conversation with a local teacher named Steve about missing school supplies sparked the entire organization.

Women's Journal featured the Patchworks story through the lens of resilience and legacy — how personal loss and a redirected Kilimanjaro climb led to founding an organization that now supplies schools and children across Tanzania and Zimbabwe. Read the Women's Journal feature on Tiffany Jones and Patchworks Inc.

When I met teachers at the Moshi Kids Centre, they were doing extraordinary work with almost nothing. Back in Brunswick, we started collecting school supplies — pencils, notebooks, anything that might help. This campaign was our first tangible act of connection between Maine and Tanzania. If you've ever wanted to turn care into action, this is a good place to start.

Maine's Portland Press Herald covers Brunswick teacher Tiffany Jones and how she built a nonprofit to deliver essential resources to students at the Moshi Kids Centre in Tanzania — turning grief into global action. Read the full Portland Press Herald story on Patchworks Inc.

Tanzania Education Fund welcomes volunteers from around the world to teach classes, lead academic clubs, and manage service projects and sports teams in Tanzanian schools. Visit the TEF volunteer page to learn how to get involved.

IVHQ offers affordable volunteer teaching programs in Arusha, Tanzania — help local teachers, lead classes of up to 80 students, and deliver meaningful education to children who need it most. Apply for IVHQ's Tanzania teaching program to start your volunteer journey.

Projects Abroad places volunteers in Tanzanian primary and Maasai schools to teach English, support local teachers, and give children brighter futures. A trusted program for anyone ready to show up and do the work. Explore Projects Abroad Tanzania and apply to volunteer.

Global Volunteers offers immersive service-learning programs in Tanzania for students, families, and individuals — contributing to life-giving community projects and helping raise children's potential. Browse Global Volunteers' Tanzania programs and sign up for your service trip.

Tiffany is going back. In July 2027, she returns to the mountain that stopped her at 15,000 feet — this time with a community on her back and four more years of purpose fueling every step. The comeback is the mission. Read the origin story that made it necessary.

Bestselling author Mel Robbins breaks down the research on what actually makes goals work — why most people fail, what the University of Oregon study reveals about goal structure, and why taking a step today (not someday) is the only thing that creates momentum.

UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center explores the research behind why small, consistent steps are more effective than grand leaps — and why pursuing a goal makes us happier even before we reach it. This is the science behind every training step I take toward the 19,341-foot summit in July 2027, and the philosophy behind the Comeback Climb. Read the research and take your next small step.

"The person who has a why can bear any how." This training guide from Life Happens Outdoors is built around the belief that every person — no matter where they come from — can find transformation in the great outdoors. I used a guide like this to prepare for my first attempt. The mountain is for everyone — including a Brunswick teacher training for a July 2027 summit at 19,341 feet. Use this guide to start building your Kilimanjaro training plan.

A comprehensive training resource covering cardio, strength, altitude preparation, and the mental stamina required for summit night. I know what 15,000 feet feels like, and I know what I need to do differently to go further in July 2027. Resources like this are how I'm training smarter the second time around. Start building your training plan with this guide.

A structured 12-week training plan for the Kilimanjaro climb — no gym required. From bodyweight strength days to long endurance hikes, this plan builds the stamina needed to survive summit night at 19,341 feet.