For the 30th year, Ketchum Downtown YMCA hosted its annual stair climb event. Organizers said more than 3,000 community supporters, athletes and first responders registered for the event. Participants climbed their way all the way to the top of the US Bank Tower in Downtown Los Angeles.
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"We're really grateful," said Carol Pfannkuche, the senior vice president of the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles. "Downtown is vibrant and exciting and we're really happy to have everybody out here."
The event also featured an urban hike not far from the bank tower, for those who wanted to walk instead of climb. Tik tok influencers Caitlin and Tip Toe were the grand marshals of the hike.
Fire captain Andy Glaze said he loves the event and this was his fourth time doing the climb.
"I love it," said Glaze, who is a captain with the La Verne Fire Department. "It's great to do this with all the other firefighters and police officers and first responders and it's a great organization, the Ketchum YMCA, so it's great to support them and we just love being out here and sweating and doing hard things."
This event is one of downtown Los Angeles' largest fundraising event with 100% of the proceeds benefiting local residents funding programs like free day camps, teen enrichment programs and free child care.
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"Families who live in the neighborhoods around downtown, the average annual family income is just $25,000 and childcare can be in the range of $3,000 a month for people," said Pfannkuche. "So being able to bring them free child care, after school enrichment, summer day camps and sleep away camps among a lot of other youth programs is something that's a great benefit to these families."
Carol said the event is a great way to encourage people to be active while also helping YMCA to provide much needed programs to local families.
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