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SCHOOLS | STEM High School students present their work to engineers [7] CRIME ALERT | Redmond Police Blotter [5]
FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2014
SPORTS | Bear Creek School boys snag third place at 2B state Hardwood Classic [10]
Redmond firefighters climb stairs for a cause Columbia Tower event benefits Leukemia & Lymphoma Society SAMANTHA PAK spak@redmond-reporter.com
CLIMBING FOR A CAUSE
Audra Daniels, senior campaign manager for the LLS, said they hope to raise $2 million. So far, she said, they have raised about $1.55 million but people have until the end of March to bring
Redmond firefighter John Simon begins his stairclimb last Sunday at the Columbia Tower. ANDY NYSTROM, Redmond Reporter in money so they are on track to make their goal. “We actually still get quite a bit (of money) after the event,” Daniels said, adding that in the last 10 years, the event has brought in about $7 million for the LLS. Peeples, the captain of the RFD team, said its goal is to raise $7,500 and as of Tuesday morning, they have raised $6,245. RFD had six firefighters in addition to Peeples participate in the climb: Jeff Fuller and Michael Waite — who are both firefighters and paramedics — and Mark Williams, Dave Cobb, Luke Beaty and John Simon — all of whom are firefighters and EMTs. The team’s top fundraiser so far is Fuller, who has brought in $3,105. The minimum amount for each firefighter to raise to participate in the climb is $300. Peeples said he has been working with the City of Redmond to hold a public fundraising event before the end of the month. With the stairclimb being held [ more STAIRS page 8 ]
An intimate encounter
Eli McCalmont, 7, of Issaquah and Pompon interact at Wednesday’s sensory hands-on tour for sight-impaired kids with “Odysseo” horses, performers and trainers at Marymoor Park. Cavalia and the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library organized the event for 11 children and their parents. See story on page 6. ANDY NYSTROM, Redmond Reporter
Landing provided shelter, hope for Atkins SAMANTHA PAK spak@redmond-reporter.com
When Brandon Atkins first arrived in Seattle last summer, it was supposed to be for a vacation. But when all of his belongings were stolen from his hostel room his first day in the city, he soon found himself homeless — his only possessions being what he had in his pockets at that time. The 23-year-old from Minnesota did a Google search for “How to be homeless” and came across
! WARNING
Friends of Youth (FOY) — an Eastside-based nonprofit whose mission is to deliver services to youth and their families to improve emotional stability and self-sufficiency — about halfway down the page. Atkins ended up at The Landing, the organization’s emergency shelter for young adults 18-24 in Redmond. “My only real hope was my spot at The Landing,” he said about this difficult period in his life. [ more FOY page 11 ]
Brandon Atkins speaks at the Friends of Youth Luncheon. SAMANTHA PAK, Redmond Reporter
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For 11 years, Josh Peeples has participated in the annual Scott Firefighter Stairclimb at the Columbia Tower in Seattle. Despite having done the 69-flight climb for more than a decade, the Redmond Fire Department (RFD) firefighter and emergency medical technician (EMT) is still as hooked on the event as he was when he did his first climb at the age of 19 as a volunteer firefighter. The stairclimb, which celebrated its 23rd year on Sunday, is a fundraiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) with money going toward three areas: research, patient care and advocacy. In addition to climbing up the Columbia Tower’s 69 flights of stairs (1,311 steps), participants wear about 50 pounds of firefighting gear. “You’re swearing to yourself the whole time,” Peeples said with a laugh about the climb’s difficulty, pointing out that if firefighters were to wear all of their gear for the climb, it would weigh twice as much. Despite how difficult the climb may be, he said once you get to the top of the tower, you “can’t wait till next year.”