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Firefighters aim to support those impacted by cancer

Jordan Ramsay and John Philips are taking on a 1,204 stair challenge to fundraise for Wellspring
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Left to right: John Philips and Jordan Ramsay are raising funds for Wellspring, an organization that provides support in the form of programs, resources and more to those impacted by cancer. Photo submitted

Eckville firefighters Jordan Ramsay and John Philips are climbing stairs for a cause. The Firefighter Stairclimb Challenge is an annual fundraising event the pair will be participating in on April 29. Participants run 1,204 steps (about 52 floors) up the Bow Tower in Calgary.

The event raises funds for an organization called Wellspring that provides support in the form of programs, resources and more to those impacted by cancer. According to their website, “Wellspring is a network of community-based support centres offering programs and services that meet the emotional, social, practical and restorative needs of people living with cancer and those who care for them.” The services and resources are all available for free and no referral is necessary.

“With just two of us being in it this year, we’re not quite reaching our fundraising goal,” he said.

The two have run in the event for the past two years and hope to beat their times this year.

“We’re really trying to get our times beat for the last two years,” Ramsay said, adding that last year he did about 25 minutes which wasn’t his best time but he was also trying to push some of the other participants up.

“This year we’re trying to go as fast as we can and hopefully get pretty high up in the rankings,” Ramsay said but added that it’s not just about going fast, it’s about raising funds for Wellspring so families have the support they need when a loved one is going through the stress of cancer.

The two men have a personal connection to the cause with both men having lost family members to cancer.

The stair climb will be done in their full bunker gear with their air packs included which adds an extra fifty or sixty pounds on top of their regular body weight. The two have already started training

“We don’t many stairs in Eckville so last year we went on a 13 kilometre walk,” he said.

Those who are interested in helping the two men reach their goal can visit the website: http://calgarystairclimb.com/, click on “Show a firefighter support” and search for “Eckville fire” to donate to the pair’s team.

You can also use the link below to go straight to their donation page.

Direct link to Eckville fire department donation page



myra.nicks@eckvilleecho.com

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