Children’s Miracle Network links together different hospitals across the country to collect and share resources to provide better pediatric cancer care, lead organizer for the Klimb for Kids event and hospitality business sophomore Carla Boffa said.

Evie de Avila, Spartans Rebuilding Michigan secretary and an English senior, said the event drew close to 150 people. 

De Avila said Spartans Rebuilding Michigan chose to do a stair climb event with the hope of creating a unique experience for participants. 

“There are a lot of 5Ks on campus, so we wanted to do something different to set ourselves apart and really make a difference,” de Avila said.

The event brought together a wide range of charities and participants. Some groups that participated included the East Lansing Police Department and the Jackson County Animal Shelter, and some of the charities were the MSU Dance Marathon and the Wounded Warrior Project.

Sgt. Andrew Bouck of the East Lansing Police Department said one of the priorities of the East Lansing Police Department is public interaction with the community.

“Another one of our priorities is kids, so this event is a win-win for the police department,” Bouck said. “We’re not just here to be enforcement agents, we’re here to be productive members of the community,” Bouck added.

For the Jackson County Animal Shelter, the event was an opportunity to educate members of the East Lansing community and hopefully find homes for the dogs they brought to the event.

“We try to get the dogs out of the shelter so people can see they are great dogs and hopefully find them a home,” shelter volunteer Kristin Lu said. “We brought a lot of pit bulls because there is some stigma surrounding them.”