Distance Learning Student Climbs Mount Fuji for Charity

Doug Szwarc, an Old Dominion University distance learning student and Navy lieutenant stationed in Yokosuka, Japan, accomplished the amazing feat of climbing that county's highest mountain, Mount Fuji - four times in a 24-hour span.

Szwarc and some friends made the climbs on Sept. 2 to raise money for two charities, Shunkou Gakuen Orphanage and the South Carolina Guardian ad Litem organization. According to his Web site, the climbers completed the treks up and down the 12,388-foot mountain in 21 hours, 59 minutes, and raised more than $11,000 - all of which will go to the two charities. Szwarc is working towards his Master's degree in Engineering Management.

For more information about the climbers, visit www.fujiclimb.com.