At the end of February, our Berkeley Ironworks gym hosted an amazing event known as Life Project. From 4-6pm the Life Project took place with 12 participants. Life Project, is a mentoring organization that provides mentors for children of incarcerated parents. The project helps deal with issues that surround parental incarceration and helps provide the children with group events that focus on leadership, as well as issues of incarceration.

Bottom line, the Berkeley Ironworks staff was amazing, and here was a testimonial from the day:

"The Ironworks staff once again came though! Out kids loved climbing on all the different walls and learning how to put on the harness. They already can't wait to come back. Each of your staff members worked to make each kid feel comfortable and reach their goals. We appreciate you providing this opportunity to out kids. Without your generous support they may have missed this experience. Thank you to each of you, for all that you do."

Thank YOU, it was a great day, and a great experience for everyone.

Labels: Berkeley Ironworks, Charity, Community Group, Events, Life Project

Here is a bit of good news on the Touchstone Cycling front: Looks like once again we will be supporting the AIDS/Lifecycle Ride this year. Word just came down the pipe and it's looking like this will be another great event and a great ride.

Here's the official info on the AIDS/Lifecycle ride, straight from the top:

Touchstone will once again be supporting members who are taking part in the 7-day ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles, May 31 – June 6, 2009. Last year we gave over $5000 to 10 different members who participated in the ride. This year, in an effort to support a larger group of participants, we will give $100 donations to all Touchstone members who are participating in the ride. We will also donate a Touchstone cycling jersey to any member that wants to wear the jersey during the ride.

(Jersey limited to sizes we currently have in stock.)

To request a donation or for more info, email:
aidsride@touchstoneclimbing.com

You still have time, you can still take part. Lets make this one of the best ever. Hopefully we'll see you there!

Labels: AIDS/Lifecycle, Charity, Events, Ride, Touchstone Cycling

Short notice on this one, but nevertheless if you're in or around the Sacramento area, this is an event you won't want to miss for a variety of reasons. On Saturday, April 25th, there is a clean-up going on very near the Auburn Quarry. In case you didn't know, climbing is currently banned at the Quarry and event sponsors CRAGS (Climbing Resource Advocates for Greater Sacramento) are trying hard to get that changed. Bottom line, a clean-up is a great way to show some very important goodwill at the same time doing something very good for this planet of ours.

Here is some more information, but make sure to leave your schedules open this Saturday, April 25th from 8:00 am til 1:00 pm. Here you go:

Earth Day 2009 American River Clean-up

Keep it Wild! ~ Keep it Scenic! ~ Keep it Clean!

Saturday, April 25 8am to 1pm

Meet at the old Auburn-Foresthill curved bridge near the Confluence 3 miles below Auburn near the Highway 49 American River crossing.
Check in at the Protect American River Canyons information booth to register and receive your free map of the American River Confluence Parkway, trash collection bags water and snacks. Historic Bridges of the Confluence hike @ 11:30 am. Wear sturdy shoes, Bring gloves, and a lunch.

For more information contact the Auburn State Recreation Area office @ 530-885-4527 or PARC @ 530-885-8878.

Sponsored by the California State Parks Foundation, Auburn State Recreation Area, Protect American River Canyons, ASRA Canyon Keepers and CRAGS(Climbing Resource Advocates for Greater Sacramento)
A very special thanks to clean-up donors, Keep California Beautiful, Auburn Placer Disposal, CHP, PG&E, Raley’s Markets, Grocery Outlet and the Auburn Journal and Auburn Sentinel.

We hope to see you there!

Labels: American River Clean-Up, Charity, climbing, Earth Day, Sacramento Pipeworks, The Quarry

They are going to be doing great things at our Berkeley Ironworks gym in a few weeks and we wanted to make sure to give you all ample time to mark it down on your calendar. That's right, our Berkeley Ironworks gym, on Saturday, April 25, will be having a Cancer Awareness Climb-a-Thon. Here is a bit more, courtesy of Paul, our General Manager at BI.

CANCER AWARENESS DAY CLIMBATHON~~~APRIL 25th

Berkeley Ironworks invites all for a feel good day. On Saturday, April 25th, BIW will be hosting a climbathon with the primary goal to raise funds for cancer research and to educate the community about cancer, and of course to have fun. There will be raffle drawings throughout the day and prizes to the top fundraisers.

Calling out to all climbers. How many climbs do you have in you to raise the minimum of $50? Challenge yourself! This is a great way to start the season, get a workout, and be part of a cause. You can participate individually, or organize a group with your friends or co-workers. You can do routes or boulder problems.

Parents learn how to belay your kids. Newcomers get in on all the fun & find out what's all the buzz about climbing. Suggested donation of $30 for classes.

GET ON ROUTE FOR A CURE ~ ONE PROBLEM AT A TIME!

REGISTIER AT: BERKELEY IRONWORKS GYM (or go to)

http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=cGR3MXRfaHFaOG9SM2JSRUF4Q2FqR0E6MA..

Thanks and we hope to see you all there, it's a great cause, so please, donate if you can.

Labels: Berkeley Ironworks, Cancer, Charity, Climb-A-Thon, Donate

Our Mexican Gear Drive we were holding at Sacramento Pipeworks and for all of Touchstone Climbing has officially come to an end, and we're happy to say it was a great success and we were able to acquire a huge amount of gear that is in great condition for these kids in Mexico.

As you know, we were trying to gather as much of our members used and unwanted gear as possible to give to Andres Muller, our Sacramento Pipeworks gym foreman as well as a former Mexico climbing champion, so he could take it down to Mexico City and distribute it amongst local children there. Everyone deserves a chance to climb, and without the gear that can be extremely difficult. Nevertheless, thanks to the kindness and generosity of all of YOU, our members, here's what we were able to accumulate over the course of the Mexico Gear Drive:

5 Ropes
6 Backpacks
25 Harness
53 Chalkbags
94 pairs of Climbing Shoes
Misc. carabiners
1 headlamp
10 belay Devices
1 helmet

Impressive. Again, we here at Touchstone Climbing want to say a giant Thank You to all of the members that pitched in and helped make this the success it was. We will be holding another gear drive from Thanksgiving to Christmas, so if you didn't have anything this time, maybe you will the next time around. Way to go!

Labels: Charity, Gear, Mexico Gear Drive, Sacramento Pipeworks, Thank You

Heads up and a quick reminder to all you in and around our Sacramento Pipeworks gym, our Book Drive we've been holding for the past few weeks comes to an official end this Friday, March 20th! In the event you've already been donating, thank you again, and if you've not heard of the event, here's a bit of information, and remember, there is still time to contribute!

Here's a little bit about the Book Drive:

"Sacramento Pipeworks is hosting a book drive put on by one of the community groups we regularly sponsor called Options For Youth. OFY is collecting books for a non-profit agency called "Teach The Children, Uganda" whose mission is to increase literacy in Uganda. OFY's goal is to send 1000 pounds of books to Uganda by the beginning of April, where they will be distributed to a variety of schools. Please help by cleaning out your bookshelves of literature appropriate for kids in Kindergarten through 12th grade and donating them as soon as possible."

So, head over and start donating, help us reach our goal and send as many books as possible to this great cause!

Labels: Book Drive, Charity, Events, Sacramento Pipeworks

Here's a great cause that each and every one of us should get behind...We're having a Used Gear drive to try to accumulate as much used climbing gear as we possibly can to take down and give to a lot of very deserving and less fortunate kids in and around Mexico City. Check it out...

"Imagine having abundant rock, lots of motivation to climb but lack climbing shoes, ropes, and a harness. This is the exact situation that many kids around Mexico City find themselves in. Andres Muller, our Sacramento Pipeworks Gym Foreman and former Mexico climbing champion, will soon be heading down to Mexico and would love to take and distribute climbing gear amongst the kids in the region and Mexico City. We all have tons of climbing gear sitting around that we will never use again, so here is an opportunity to get rid of it, and help out kid's who will be able to put it to good use. We would like to ask you to donate old gear by placing it in the boxes provided. Anything will help, harnesses, ropes, chalkbags and shoes."

Whatever you can do is amazing. Thanks!

Labels: Charity, Donate, Mexico Gear Drive, Sacramento Pipeworks

This is a great week for testimonials about all of our gyms, first we heard back from the Seneca Center about our Great Western Power Co. gym, and now today, we get a testimonial back from the Bay Area Community Resources (BACR) program that came to our Mission Cliffs gym with students from both the 4th and 5th grades.

BACR is an organization that "promotes the healthy development of individuals, families and communities through direct services, volunteerism, and partnerships in the San Francisco Bay Area." They brought their kids and here is what they had to say:

Mission Cliffs is fantastic for school groups. I was fortunate enough to bring 4th and 5th grade students here as a reward for homework completion and the students could not stop talking about the trip. I am always pleased to expose my students to activities which they may normally not encounter outside of school. The staff were very diligent in ensuring that the students understood the rules and also had fun in the process. I would definitely recommend this as a field trip for other school groups. Carlos Almendarez Project Director

Thanks Carlos, and we hope to see you and your students back again in the near future.

(image via BACRsf on Flickr)

Labels: BACR, Charity, Children, Events, mission cliffs, Students, Testimonial, Youth Group

At the beginning of February at our Great Western Power Co. location, we were lucky enough to play host to yet another great youth organization. We hosted some kids from the Seneca Center for a day of climbing, challenges and problem solving opportunities that helped them build trust, courage and climbing skills.

Recently, we heard back from one of the leaders at the Seneca Center, Emily McMane and she sent us a great testimonial to how the experience affected each of the children chosen to come and climb. Check out their words:

"Mouths gaped, eyes widened, and the room became a fluttering sound of "Whoaaaas!" and "Cooooools!", as they entered the room. Six children from Seneca Center's San Leandro After School Program visited GWPC's climbing gym in Oakland for the first time on February 6th. The expectation for staff and kids alike had been simply to climb, but the experience lived up to so much more. For two hours we supported kids, ranging in age from 8 to 13, in climbing, laughing, learning, and challenging themselves through new experiences. The GWPC staff was so helpful and accommodating to our group's needs, and the gym itself had a perfect array of climbing routes to suit children of varying ages and abilities. Thanks to GWPC for this great opportunity to help us build trust and courage within our kids, and offering not only the chance to climb, but the chance to cheer each other on as well. This was invaluable experience for our program. Our kids are still talking about it. Thanks again!"

Thank you, and we hope to see you back again sometime!

Labels: Charity, Children, Events, Great Western Power Co., kids, Seneca Center

Just a quick Friday note to let you know that we're still in dire need of any and all food you can donate to our Food Drive! After they did a check, it seems like the food barrels at Diablo Rock Gym are almost completely empty! We're coming up on the tail end of the food drive for Contra Costa and Solano Food Bank and we'd love to completely restock our supplies and help get food into the hands and stomachs of those that need it the most.

Here are a couple of notes on what we need, when we need it, and how you can help!

• We need all food to be dropped off before Monday the 22nd.
• Donation barrels are located at the front desk.
• Needed items are iron rich cereal, 100% fruit juice, canned fruit (in juice), dry beans, canned vegetables and tomato products, enriched rice, powdered milk, canned meat and fish, enriched pasta and peanut butter (plastic container). Please donate nonperishable food items, (no glass containers please).
  

Of course our most sincere thanks go out to you in advance. Let's fill these barrels and help feed those that need it the most! It's the Holiday Season, time to give back!

Labels: Charity, Contra Costa, Diablo Rock Gym, Donate, Food bank, Food Drive, Solano Food Bank