Climb for Kids on the Appalachian Trail was recently completed by EXIT Southeast volunteers from five states in conjunction with The Home Loan Expert Ryan Kelley and the nonprofit, Keep Climbing Foundation, with 100% of the donations benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the fight against childhood cancers.
Kelley has been climbing mountains all over the world with the Keep Climbing Foundation fulfilling its mission to serve others. Beginning the climb in Cosby, Tennessee, EXIT Southeast volunteers from Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee and Texas, as well as volunteers from Wisconsin and Canada with EXIT Realty Corp. International, summited multiple peaks including Tennessee’s highest, Clingman’s Dome, said EXIT Southeast Regional Owner Kenny Lynn.
“We have great respect for the work of St. Jude and the impressive volunteers of Keep Climbing Foundation. With Ryan Kelley marshaling our real estate brokers, owners, agents and staff, it was a great weekend for a very worthy cause,” Lynn said.
Keep Climbing Foundation partners with companies conducting climbs all over the world said Kelley. “As a foundation, we look to partner with companies that meet our high standards. EXIT Southeast went beyond those expectations. They were engaged from the start, exceeded their $50,000 fundraising goal and showed up to the Smoky Mountains ready to put in the work. We couldn’t be happier. This will go down as one of our best fundraising campaigns of the year,” Kelley said.
EXIT Southeast Regional Owner Stacy Strobl said the fundraising effort was especially important to her after a recent cancer challenge. “After living in Memphis and volunteering at St. Jude, I saw first-hand the great work they do. Located in our EXIT Southeast region, this was a great way to support children in need from across the United States. After I recently faced a cancer challenge, supporting kids going through this difficult time hit home for me and I’m so proud of our EXIT Southeast volunteers,” said Strobl.
The EXIT Southeast climbers faced residual weather from Hurricane Ian making the hike more challenging in the wind and rain. Strobl said the team began the three-day hike, finished safely, and raised over $50,000 for a worthy cause.
A Great Smoky Mountains National Park guide company, A Walk in the Woods, provided a full-service guided trip through the Appalachian Mountains. All the participants leaned on the guide team’s expertise as they hiked in the rainy and cold conditions. A physically demanding hike, Erika Gileo, Chief Operating Officer of EXIT Realty Corp. International, said the ultimate goal was most important.
“I made it up to the top and it was a little harder than I expected,” Gileo said. “I love being in nature. But, more than anything, it’s for the kids to help those struggling and sick and to support St. Jude.”
Climb for the Kids was started in 2015 by Kelley to bring attention to the lack of adequate federal funding for childhood cancer research.
St. Jude will receive 100% of donations from this event to continue their world-class pediatric cancer research. Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20% to more than 80% since it opened in 1962. Climbers were proud to face the long uphill trails, the rain, the wind, and the cold for kids battling cancer at St Jude.
