A FOURTEEN-year-old from Mt Eliza, Kalen Colabufalo, and his mum, Jonelle, will be taking part in a 13-day hike in Nepal to raise funds for Limbs4All.
Mark Inglis will be leading the trek. He is a paralympic medal winner, scientist, philanthropist, and was the first double amputee to summit Mount Everest. They are working in collaboration with Mark’s foundation, Limbs4All, which provides support to amputees, and the Jared Dunscombe Foundation, which was started 11 years ago on the one-year anniversary of Jonelle’s brother and Kalen’s uncle’s death.
“Every year we pick a major project to support and fundraise for,” Jonelle said. “We support projects that are based around young people going through some kind of challenge.” This year, Jonelle and Kalen decided to take on the challenge of the trek in Nepal and combine it with their ongoing work with the Jared Dunscombe Foundation. “When I heard that Mark Inglis was leading it, I just thought it was a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Jonelle said.
Jonelle wants to continue honouring her brother’s legacy, who spent years giving back to the community and fundraising before his death. Kalen said he is inspired to follow in his Uncle Jared’s footsteps. “Try and give back to the community with what you have and just try and put a smile on everyone’s face and give them the same opportunities you’ve had in your life,” Kalen said.
Despite being only 14, Kalen will push his limits and reach altitudes of 5483m in the Himalayas this November. “Haven’t done much hiking before,” Kalen said. “I’m a little bit worried for the physical side of it and I think my legs will be pretty sore by the end of it, but I think I’ll be alright.”
Jonelle said she is incredibly proud of her son. “I just think there’s not many 14-year-olds who’d probably commit to something like this, and I would just love for people to get behind him and the community to support in whatever way they can,” she said. “You get so much reward from just giving back to others and making a difference to others, that it’s also a gift to yourself.”
On 18 October, they are hosting a fundraiser “One Night in Italy” at Freccia Azzurra Club in Braeside, with all the proceeds going to Limbs4All. Mark will be flying in from New Zealand to speak at the event.
You can book tickets for the fundraiser here: www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1461806 and anyone interested in following Kalen and Jonelle’s journey can receive daily updates on their Instagram: @jonellekalentreknepal
First published in the Mornington News – 14 October 2025
