The Patchworks Mission
Written during chemotherapy, this memoir chronicles a Brunswick classroom teacher's journey toward Africa's highest peak — and the raw truth that our biggest failures often lead to our most meaningful purposes. The book that planted the seed for everything Patchworks has become. Get your copy of Couch to Kilimanjaro on Amazon.
When I couldn't summit Kilimanjaro, a visit to the Moshi Kids Centre changed the entire trajectory of what Patchworks would become. This Tanzanian school provides education, nutrition, and care to vulnerable children in the Kilimanjaro region — and it's the heart of everything we do. If you want to understand Patchworks, start here.
Maine's largest newspaper covered how a Brunswick special education teacher turned a mountain setback into a nonprofit mission serving Tanzanian students — capturing the heart of the Patchworks origin story and proving local organizations can think globally. Read the Portland Press Herald feature on Patchworks Inc.
Kivo Daily profiled the full Patchworks origin story — from losing both parents to cancer, through the failed Kilimanjaro summit, to founding a nonprofit that now serves educators in Tanzania and Zimbabwe. Read the full Kivo Daily feature on Tiffany Jones and Patchworks Inc.
World Reporter covered the Patchworks founding story — connecting a cancer diagnosis, a failed summit, and a conversation with Tanzanian teacher Steve about missing school supplies that sparked an entire organization. Read the World Reporter article on Patchworks Inc. and Tiffany Jones.
Women's Journal featured the Patchworks story through the lens of resilience and legacy — how personal loss and a redirected Kilimanjaro climb led to founding an organization that now supplies schools and children across Tanzania and Zimbabwe. Read the Women's Journal feature on Tiffany Jones and Patchworks Inc.
The original GoFundMe that started it all — raising funds for cancer research while training to climb Kilimanjaro through chemotherapy. This campaign became the first chapter of the Patchworks fundraising story and proved that fighting for others gives us strength to fight for ourselves. Read the campaign and support the Patchworks mission.
After discovering the Moshi Kids Centre, Patchworks launched this campaign to collect school supplies for Tanzanian students. Brunswick community members filled boxes with pencils, notebooks, and hope. Education is the bridge Patchworks builds between cultures.
Episode 42 of the Walking Post podcast tells the complete Patchworks origin story, from cancer diagnosis through the failed Kilimanjaro summit to founding the nonprofit. Hosted by Jim Cornall, this is the conversation where Tiffany tells it in her own words — the failure, the pivot, and what came next. Start here if you want the full picture.
Follow Patchworks on Instagram for behind-the-scenes training updates, Tanzania stories, and real-time community highlights — where the day-to-day work of building a nonprofit comes to life. Follow @patchworksinc_ on Instagram and join the mission.