United Way Elgin Middlesex marks 25 years of its annual StairClimb
Global News
The StairClimb draws to a close on Thursday afternoon, but there's still more than a week left to send donations online at the United Way's website.
Hundreds in the London, Ont., area are sweating for a cause on Thursday as United Way Elgin Middlesex holds its biggest fundraising event of the year.
The United Way is marking the 25th edition of the TD Bank StairClimb, which raises $200,000 annually for partner agencies funded by the charity.
The COVID-19 pandemic has prevented organizers from holding their usual stair climb up the hundreds of steps at One London Place. Instead, more than 360 participants will take part in a series of virtual Step Up Sessions streamed live from FitClub Bootcamps in south London.
The first session kicked off at 8:30 a.m. with the final class wrapping up at 5 p.m. Thursday.
United Way’s president and CEO Kelly Ziegner was involved in the very first StairClimb and has held a front-row seat to watching it grow ever since.
“I was a 23-year-old kid then, climbing the stairs with a lot more energy, but we’ve had lots of fun things happen over the years,” Ziegner said.
“At one point, we had our friends from CAMI and Unifor Local 88 carry and assemble a part of a car to the top of One London Place, we had folks from Tepperman’s carrying couches right up the stairs…. I think the thing that keeps that longevity of this event going is everybody’s commitment to their local community.”