Frysinger

Stephanie Frysinger plans to climb, learn and contribute during her trip to Tanzania, Africa.

Frysinger, 31, formerly of Springettsbury Township, and two of her co-workers have been chosen to go to Tanzania to climb the 19,930-foot-high Mount Kilimanjaro.

The climbing trip is sponsored by United States Liability Insurance, where Frysinger is an underwriter assistant. She leaves for Tanzania Sunday and returns on Aug. 24.

"I know it will be a challenge," said Frysinger of West Chester, Chester County. "I've been training for it, hiking with 30-pound packs on, doing steps. I'm in a pretty good place physically and mentally."

Frysinger, a 1999 graduate of Central York High School, where she was a basketball standout, said she qualified for the climbing trip by completing an 11-mile "tough mudder" obstacle course in the Poconos in April.

She said USLI's chief executive officer, Tom Nerney, informed her in May that she was indeed going to Africa.

Stop at orphanage: Before going on the six-day climb at Mount Kilimanjaro, Frysinger and her co-workers will visit the Hananasif Orphanage in Tanzania, where they will give youths school supplies and sports equipment.

"I'm really eager to spend time with the kids and get a perspective of what someone else's life is like in a different place," she said. "I think it would be very humbling to see where they come from and what they go through on a daily basis."

The Tanzania trip includes a safari and a couple of days stay on the Island of Zanzabar, Frysinger said.

Her mother, Deb Frysinger of Springettsbury Township, said she is excited for her daughter's opportunity to travel to Africa. She said she knows her daughter will do well on the trip.

"She's always been really conscientious about everything she's ever done," Deb Frysinger said. "(The climb) will prove to her even more how strong of a person she really is and what all she can do."

--Reach Eyana Adah McMil lan at emcmillan@yorkdis patch.com.