Klean Kanteen's Michelle Kalberer, Climbing Against the Odds

Breast Cancer Fund works tirelessly year after year to help eliminate the environmental toxins that lead to breast cancer. As a proud partner of the organization, we do our part every day to support these efforts in any way we can. Of course, we do this by making products that the general public can trust; all Klean Kanteen bottles are entirely BPA, BPS and liner-free, which provides consumers with a toxin-free solution to BPA-laden water bottles, to-go coffee cups and plastic food containers. Additionally, we participate in Breast Cancer fundraising whenever possible.

This year, our very own Michelle Kalberer, co-owner of Klean Kanteen, is going to Climb Against the Odds. Between now and June, she'll be training to climb 14,179-foot Mt. Shasta in Northern California, all the while fundraising in support of Breast Cancer Fund. We asked Michelle why this particular effort is near and dear to her heart, and here's what she told us: 

"I’ve held my mom’s hand -- and recently the hand of my best friend -- through breast cancer. I am saddened, scared and frustrated that only half of those diagnosed with breast cancer experience the disease as a result of genetics; the other half of breast cancer diagnoses can be linked to toxins in our environment. That’s one of the reasons it’s so special to me to support the Breast Cancer Fund. They connect the dots for consumers around what we can do to lessen our exposure, and they go to bat for us to make real change happen. Conquering Mount Shasta is just icing on the cake! I’ve got my boots, I love a good challenge and I will summit that mountain with determination.”

Unfortunately, we live in a time when stories of personal connection to the battle against breast cancer are incredibly common. Fortunately, organizations such as Breast Cancer Fund are doing their part to make all of this a part of our history, not our future. If you'd like to donate to Michelle's Climb Against the Odds, please visit her fundraising page and do just that: here. We'll be sharing updates about Michelle's training and her climb up through June right here on the Klean Blog, so stay tuned!