The 1Climb Foundation has announced their partnership with Climbing 4 Change, whose goal is to make the climbing and outdoor community more inclusive, to further 1Climb’s mission of introducing 100,000 kids to climbing. With the support of Climbing 4 Change, 1Climb gains a valuable partner for the ongoing programming and community building needed to ensure each program lives up to its full potential.
“What Kai is building at Climbing for Change is exactly what our sport needs right now and we are honored to have the opportunity to support his mission.” said Kevin Jorgeson, co-founder of 1Climb.
1Climb was founded in 2017 with the mission of improving lives by introducing climbing to the next generation. To achieve its mission, 1Climb facilitates the installation of climbing walls in Boys and Girls Clubs or local community centers and creates long term partnerships with the local climbing gym and climbing community.
Professional climber Kai Lightner founded Climbing 4 Change in 2020 with the goal of diversifying the rock climbing and outdoor adventure community, by providing opportunities for individuals to participate in rock climbing and other adventure sports. Climbing 4 Change facilitates partnerships and funding to increase DEI activities through grants for both individuals and organizations, and provides opportunities to increase access to adventure sports and rock climbing.
“For the past 9 years, I have consistently worked with programs that aimed to increase diversity in rock climbing and outdoor adventure activities.” said Kai Lightner, founder of Climbing 4 Change. “I have seen firsthand the impact that our sport can have on young kids in opening up new opportunities and experiences for them to explore. In August 2020, I started Climbing for Change to utilize my platform and the connections that I have made throughout the industry, in order to further this work. In partnering with 1Climb, we hope to amplify our efforts and increase our impact on more communities like College Park, GA.”
The partnership will kick off with a brand new climbing wall opening at the Tracey Wyatt Recreation Center in College Park, GA, the 6th wall installation for 1Climb and the fourth of ten walls in partnership with adidas. The wall was installed on December 17th and will open this Friday, January 29th, reaching over one thousand kids in the College Park community.
“The City of College Park is extraordinarily grateful to all of the organizations that made this climbing wall possible.” said Bianca Motley Broom, mayor of College Park. “It may look like ‘just’ a wall, but I view it as a bridge to limitless opportunities for the children of College Park.”
In addition to 1Climb and Climbing 4 Change, this wall opening has the support from adidas and Stone Summit Climbing.
“The partnership between 1Climb and C4C is a commitment to creating the opportunity for youth to be introduced to the sport of climbing.” said Devon Derby, adidas Sports Marketing Manager. “This wall is a not only an enabler of that mission but also a physical and permanent symbol of that commitment within the community.”
“Stone Summit is proud to partner with the Tracey Wyatt Center in the development of their new climbing community!” added Daniel Luke, Co-Owner of Stone Summit. “We hope their new climbing wall can help the youth climb to new heights and opportunities. We are so excited to get this program started!”
For more information about 1Climb, or to donate to the organization, visit www.1climb.org. To learn more about Climbing 4 Change, visit climbing4change.org.
For more information about the Tracey Wyatt Center and their programming, visit the College Park City website.
About 1Climb
The 1Climb Foundation was founded in 2017 with the mission of introducing 100,000 kids to climbing. 1Climb funds the installation of climbing walls in Boys and Girls Clubs across the United States, and creates partnerships between the clubs and the local climbing community. For more information about 1Climb, visit www.1climb.org.
