UWM students, faculty, staff and alumni can climb alongside fellow Panthers and raise awareness for lung health during the Fight for Air Climb on March 7 at the U.S. Bank Center.
The Fight for Air Climb is the American Lung Association’s national fundraising event. Held in prominent skyscrapers nationwide, it is a chance to promote lung disease research, patient education and cleaner air.
For the second year, the UWM Panthers Puff-Out team will be climbing the 1,034 steps of the U.S. Bank Center to raise awareness of UWM’s smoke- and tobacco-free policy. Participants on the team are asked to raise $100 before the event starts.
This year, Kate Nelson, chief sustainability officer at UWM, and Jennifer Woo, a PhD candidate in the Joseph J. Zilber School of Public Health, will lead the team as co-captains.
“It’s not the pressure of what I think people think a marathon is or a bike race. It really encourages people of all abilities to climb,” Nelson said.
Woo agreed, describing the water breaks that are available, the encouraging posters in the stairwell, and the stunning view of the city at the end of the climb. Not only is the climb less pressure than a marathon, but it is quicker too. Woo said reaching the top takes the team only about 15 minutes.
“It’s way faster than you think,” she said.
Anyone who is interested can join the Panthers Puff-Out team at practices in the Engineering building. Half-hour practices will be held on Mondays at 3 p.m., Thursdays at 5 p.m. and Fridays at noon.
