Londoners help those in poverty 'one step at a time' at TD StairClimb

Helping those in poverty 'one step at a time' Over 600 climbers "stepped up" on Wednesday by participating in this year’s TD StairClimb in support of United Way Elgin Middlesex

Over 600 climbers "stepped up" on Wednesday by participating in this year’s TD StairClimb in support of United Way Elgin Middlesex at Canada Life Place.

Participants wound their way through over 1,000 stairs through two circuits of the arena while local celebrity athletes cheered them on.

Local Olympian Damian Warner was among those athletes - he said he’d been participating in the event since his time at Montcalm Secondary School. Warner said the event shows “the importance of the foundation and how many people it helps … in my life and my career I’ve seen how important it is to have support.”

Over 80 participating teams raised funds to reduce and prevent poverty while spreading awareness.

Kelly Ziegner, the president and CEO of United Way Elgin Middlesex, said that the annual stairclimb raised over a hundred thousand dollars last year and was on track to raise even more this year which “translates into helping people right here in our community … last year 100,000 people in our region benefited from the United Way program.”

She stated, “the reason we’re all here is to give everyone a fair shot at a good life.”

The TD StairClimb has raised around $3 million in pledges and donations since its inception in 1996.