Fundraiser will raise dollars for research, treatment
By MARIA PHELAN VIEW STAFF WRITER
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When asked about this weekend's HERA Climb for Life, 11-year-old Nicole Oliveri's goals were just as lofty as any other climber's, despite the fact that she'll be one of the event's younger participants.
"I'm looking forward to getting to the top," said Oliveri, a fifth-grader at Gibson Elementary School. She and other youth recently attended a climbing workshop in preparation for the Climb for Life.
The two-day Climb for Life event will take place at the Red Rock Climbing Center and the Red Rock National Conservation Area Saturday and Sunday, and will feature climbers of all skill levels from across the country.
The event will benefit the Health, Empowerment, Research and Advocacy (HERA) Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating women about, and finding a cure for, ovarian cancer.
Event organizer Stephanie Forte, a member of the HERA Foundation's board of directors and a Las Vegas resident, said she started planning the first Climb for Life event in 2002 after learning about the foundation.
"I got involved with HERA through Sean Patrick, the organization's founder," Forte said. "We learned to climb together about 14 years ago in Aspen, Colo. I got very into rock climbing and left the Aspen Valley to travel and climb full time, and lost touch with Sean. While I was gone, I heard Sean was diagnosed with ovarian cancer."
Forte, who also works as a freelance writer, got back in touch with Patrick in 2002 when a climbing magazine editor suggested she write a piece about Patrick. Around the same time, Forte read a newspaper story about a local woman battling ovarian cancer.
"When I read that story, I realized I didn't know much about women's cancers," Forte said. "I've had a great life and I've been fortunate to do the things I wanted, like snowboarding and climbing. After I heard about Sean and the local woman, I wanted to do a fundraiser here, so I organized the first Climb for Life."
At the time, Forte thought her climbing event would be a one-time deal.
Four years later she's organizing the fourth event, and said the HERA Foundation now benefits from similar Climb for Life events in Oregon, Kentucky, Utah, Colorado and Washington, D.C.
"I didn't think it would get this big," she said. "After the first event, we presented the HERA Foundation with a check for almost $3,000. Last year we raised $10,000, and this year I want to raise $20,000."
Forte also said that each year the HERA Foundation has been able to donate at least 90 percent of the money raised during the Climb for Life directly to ovarian cancer research and treatment programs.
Chet Christner, a seventh-grade earth science teacher at Greenspun Middle School, said he moved to the Las Vegas Valley four years ago for the world-class climbing in the Red Rock area.
"I knew Stephanie from climbing, so in the first year I volunteered at the Climb for Life," he said. "I've been volunteering each year since."
About six months ago Christner started a climbing club at Greenspun Middle School, and decided to get the club members involved with the Climb for Life. He said many of the club's members are female.
"Climb for Life was started by climbers and is put on by climbing experts, so it's perfect for the club," he said. "It's billed as a competition, but it's more like a walk-a-thon, except it's vertical."
To prepare climbing club members for the Climb for Life, several elite climbers -- including Forte, Joe Kinder, Bill Ramsey and Bryan O'Keefe -- volunteered their time at a climbing club session in mid-January.
Brenna Russell, 12, a seventh-grader at Greenspun, will participate in the Climb for Life and said she enjoyed the training session.
"It was pretty fun," she said. "Stephanie and the other instructors taught us a lot of stuff about training and climbing."
Brenna's father, Chuck Russell, said he thinks his daughter's involvement with the climbing event has been a positive experience.
"I think the event is wonderful," he said. "We had a family friend who died of ovarian cancer, so it's a very important cause. Especially since she's doing this climbing event, Brenna's been very motivated. She's pushing herself farther."
Forte stressed that the Climb for Life is open to climbers of all abilities -- up to and including first-timers -- and said Saturday's event will feature a series of rock-climbing clinics and workshops with several expert climbers.
Forte said because rock climbing can be intimidating, she will be teaching a women's specific clinic as well.
In addition to the clinics, Climb for Life participants will be invited to a party at the Roadrunner on Saturday night. On Sunday the event will move to the Red Rock National Conservation Area and participants will go out on the rocks with Jackson Hole Mountain Guides.
"Everyone can sign up for this event," Forte said. "The youngest participant we've ever had was 4 years old, and the oldest was 72. No climbing experience is necessary -- we'll train you. It's a good time."
The Climb for Life will be held at Red Rock Climbing Center, 8201 W. Charleston Blvd., on Saturday and at the Red Rock National Conservation Area on Sunday.
Registration for the entire Climb for Life weekend is $100. Some events can be registered for individually.
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