As the 5th Annual Climb For The Kids gets underway, we wanted to go back and take a look at the history, and how we have grown every year.
The Climb For The Kids started in 2015 with Ryan Kelley watching Everest in his house and thinking “I can do that.” He walked into The Home Loan Expert offices the next morning and told the assembled team that he was climbing a mountain, Mount Rainier, for charity, and he would pay for anyone who wanted to go up with him.
He got no responses.
Finally, a week later, April McCoy, COO of The Home Loan Expert, came to Ryan and asked him if he thought she could climb the mountain. He immediately signed her up and they started training for the climb.
The climb that year was very difficult for two first-timers, and they did not quite reach the summit, with Ryan getting within 700 feet. However, it was a roaring success, because Ryan and April raised over $14,000 that year for Friends of Kids With Cancer.
The next year brought even bigger successes. Ryan went back to Mt. Rainier solo and this time managed to summit the mountain! He had prepared and trained even harder and was able to get to the top. That year, Ryan again raised over $14,000 for 3 charities: Friends of Kids With Cancer, SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital, and Alec Ingram.
In 2017, Ryan was injured after completing the grueling Bataan Memorial Death March and was not able to climb that year. However, Karolina Zavisuite stepped in and did a great job by running a marathon up Pike’s Peak in Colorado! Karolina was one of the top finishers and was a fitting fill-in for Ryan while he recuperated. The Climb again raised over $14,000, this time for four charities: Friends of Kids With Cancer, SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital, Alec Ingram, and Roman Tough.
Then last year, the Climb For The Kids BLEW UP. Ryan brought a team to the Grand Tetons in Jackson Hole, Wyoming including last year’s participant Karolina, Jaidev Jyotis, and Lance McOlgen to summit the mountain with him. They were able to climb to the top and raise over $50,000 for 5 charities: FightDMD. Alec Ingram, Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital, Friends of Kids With Cancer, and SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital.
The Climb For The Kids has raised over $92,000 in total in 4 years, and we are shooting for $100,000 this year, but we need your help! So visit www.climbforthekids.com today to make your donation and learn more about the Climb.
Oh, and we also do mortgages!
If you are ready to buy a home or refinance, call The Home Loan Expert Team at 800-991-6494. You can always apply online at hero.loan for your VA Loan, and www.thehomeloanexpert.com for your other mortgage needs, and we’re also open on Saturdays and will come to you to help close your loan. We work hard to make it easy on you. Nobody gets lower rates on better loans than The Home Loan Expert, Ryan Kelley, why go anywhere else?
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