Give and Take: Climbing for a Cause
Climbing 66 flights of stairs (over 1,200 steps) to the top of 30 Rockefeller Plaza may sound tough, but it’s nothing compared to what people living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) fight every day. Currently, nearly one million people in the U.S. are living with MS and there is no cure. The disease affects people in the prime of their lives and every hour someone is newly diagnosed.
Earlier this month, The National Multiple Sclerosis Society hosted its annual Climb to the Top event at Rockefeller Center. The largest private funder of MS research in the world, The National MS Society successfully gathers patients, athletes, volunteers and supporters to climb 66 flights to the “top of the Rock” to raise funds to support their goal of moving us closer to a world free of MS.
This is the sixth year that I have participated in the event as part of “Team Ireland” and we’ve raised just under $150,000 to date. Our team first got involved as it looked like a fun and novel way to raise money for a great cause, while getting an unbelievable view of New York City in the process. However, witnessing people who live with MS ascend 1,215 stairs to Rockefeller Center’s iconic Top of the Rock is incredibly compelling and made many of us realize that our participation is a way to raise awareness levels of the disease as well as money to help fight it.
Every year, our merry crew of friends and colleagues come together to fundraise and participate in the Climb. With very little experience fundraising, I am always a little intimidated by the prospect of meeting a minimum target. However, this year, with the support of Prosek Partners and the Prosek Giveback team, I held an in-office bake sale and met my personal fundraising goal way ahead of schedule.
By letting my colleagues know about my fundraising efforts for the event, I was able to spread the word and gain support from the entire office. Everyone pitched together to bake, decorate and contribute funds. And, as the cherry on top, in an extraordinarily generous gesture, Prosek Partners matched my raised funds taking me well past my original fundraising goal! This year, Team Ireland raised over $14,500, had a top ten fundraiser, a top ten finisher and a TON of fun along the way!
Participating in the Climb truly reminds me of what you can accomplish with a strong team and the encouragement and support of others around you. The 2019 Climb to the Top initiative is very close to reaching its goal of $1,000,000, providing continual hope to people affected by the disease.
If you want to participate in next year’s Climb, sign up here and get involved in the movement to end MS. 