Published in the September 28 – October 11, 2016 issue of Morgan Hill Life

By Robert Airoldi

Robert Airoldi

Robert Airoldi

Peter Anderson

Peter Anderson

Local geologist and Rotary Club of Morgan Hill member Peter Anderson is on a mission to hike in the Himalayas — specifically, a jaunt up Mount Everest in early November. Anderson will walk about 70 miles from an elevation of 10,000 feet to Everest Base Camp at 18,000 feet, the site where the climbing expeditions typically take off from to reach the prominence at 29,029 feet.

And he’s turning it into a fundraiser to help the Rotary International’s goal of eradicating polio. Besides his mountain gear, he will be carrying ceremonial banners from dozens of Rotary Clubs around the world to raise money for eradication of polio from the world, he said.

“As a geologist I have developed the additional desire to see the unusually complex Himalayan geology. And the opportunity to raise money for Rotary’s polio campaign adds a wonderful dimension to the trip,” he said.

A great adventure tied in with a worthy cause!

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hallidaygrantWe’ve got a lot of smart kids in Morgan Hill. And one of them is Sobrato High School senior Grant Halliday who made the semifinals for the 62nd Annual National Merit Scholarship Program, meaning he is one 16,000 students out of more than 1.6 million who qualified for the program. The designation means Halliday now has the opportunity to continue in the competition for the nearly 7,500 scholarships worth about $33 million.

“This is such a great honor for Grant, and we can not be more proud of him,” said Courtney Macko, principal of Sobrato.

“Sobrato High School has a great team who go out of their way to help students achieve their goals,” Superintendent Steve Betando said upon hearing of the accomplishment. “I’m confident they will give Grant all of the support he needs to move forward in the competition. The entire district offers him congratulations and good luck over the next few months.”

Finalists will be announced in February and winners will be notified of their awards in the spring. We look forward to learning how Grant fared.

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oconnelltomLongtime Morgan Hill resident Tom O’Connell stopped by Morgan Hill Life publisher Marty Cheek’s office recently to let him know he just recently received an honor he’s extremely proud of. O’Connell spent the past several years working on earning his Chartered Life Underwriter designation from the American College of Financial Services, based in Bryn Mawr, Pa.

Candidates for the CLU designation must complete a minimum of eight courses and 16 hours of supervised examinations. They must also fulfill stringent experience and ethics requirements. The CLU is the highest standard of knowledge and trust and the world’s most respected designation of insurance expertise.

“This means the opportunity to get into meaningful conversations about financial matters and retirements issues with people and help them plan their futures for a better life,” O’Connell said. “I’ve been in this business for eight or nine years and receiving the CLU helps me to better understand the nuances of financial planning and assist my clients to a higher degree.”

Meet O’Connell at an upcoming free financial planning workshop that he will be giving at the Morgan Hill Library at 7 p.m. Oct. 11 to help people learn about realistic options to keep your money safe.