There’s a pin that adorns the left lapel on Islander A.C. Sherpa’s blue blazer, one that conjoins the American and Nepali flags.

“Nepal gave me a birth, America gave me a future,” Sherpa said. “With this combination, I wanted to give something to both countries. But Nepal needs the most right now.”

Sherpa is the founder and president of the 7 Summits Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit organization named after his efforts scaling the Seven Summit expedition. He created the foundation and climbed the Seven Summit trek in 2010 to raise money and awareness for the health clinics, schools, and other social sectors of Nepal.

Now through his foundation, Sherpa hopes to provide his homeland with the resources it requires as it recovers from the devastation of the April 25 7.8 magnitude earthquake that killed 8,000 people and left over a million people without a home.

Sherpa estimated 1.5 million Nepali people are living on the street, outdoors in parks underneath trees, and are in desperate need of tents. Children do not have physical school buildings to attend. Roads have been destroyed and rescue choppers are needed to transport supplies. He said of the million tents needed, only about 30,000 have been provided so far.

“Since the day the earthquake came on April 25, these people don’t have a home. They don’t have clothes to change. When they wake up, they don’t even know if they’ll have food. This is the situation Nepal is facing right now and the people are very frustrated,” he said. “[If] anybody, North Face, Mountain Hardwear, if they’re willing to write down the tax writeup and ship the tent, 7 Summits will give them our receipts and make sure the tents get to the needy people in the village who don’t have a home today.”

Born in the village of Tapting, most of Sherpa’s family lives in Nepal, and he says he hasn’t been able to contact his closest younger sister or the treasurer of the 7 Summit Foundation since the earthquake occurred.

Sherpa said Nepal is in need of doctors to help the mass amount of sick and wounded, and alleviate some of the pressure off the medics already there. Volunteers and manpower are also needed to help build houses and sort through the rubble.

“We intend to collect tents, funding and look for volunteers to go to Nepal. We will facilitate it, get permission from the Nepali government and do whatever it takes to do it,” he said. “Funding will go 100 percent toward rebuilding peoples’ homes, so they can restore and situate themselves and so kids can go to school in houses.”

Sherpa came to Mercer Island with his brother in 1987 for education and attended Mercer Island High School, speaking little English as a freshmen and taking ESL courses. He became a four-year member of National Honor Society, played football at MIHS under Dick Nicholl and worked as a stock boy at Albertsons.

After graduating from MIHS in 1990, Sherpa earned his associates degree at Bellevue Community College and then studied business at the University of Washington’s Bothell campus before studying computer science at Hawaii Pacific University.

He’s lived with his family on Mercer Island since 2002 and runs an investment business in Redmond. He first went back to Nepal some ten years after moving to the U.S., and now travels there two or three times a year.

“When I went back to Nepal, I saw people don’t have the same opportunity I have,” he said. “I can compare myself to thousands of people in Nepal and they still can’t have that kind of income, and I wanted to give something back to my birthplace.”

Sherpa was preparing to leave for Kathmandu May 11 to bring whatever resources he could. After he returns in June, he has another trip planned in October.

“I’m just thinking how much funding I’m going to take with me because it’s not going to be enough. The moment I land in Kathmandu, people are going to expect differently,” he said, adding he is seeking help from shipping organizations for taking supplies overseas. “I wish I could take a hundred [bags] of luggage with me saying, ‘Here are tents,’ but the thing is I can’t do that.”

There is a lot to take on for one person, but with the help and efforts of others, Sherpa believes the restoration can take place.

“I hope the U.S. is the role model for the whole world, helping people do something for Nepal,” he said. “I think 300,000 Nepali live in U.S. [If] each person can take responsibility of their own villages in raising funds and helping back them, I think it will be possible.”

To find out more or to donate, visit www.7SummitsFoundation.org or the 7 Summits Foundation Facebook page at www.facebook.com/7SFoundation.