Annual Fundraiser
Climb For The Kids
Climb For The Kids is an annual mountain climbing fundraiser dedicated to raising money and awareness for children battling cancer.
Climb For The Kids is an annual mountain climbing fundraiser dedicated to raising money and awareness for children battling cancer.
Since 2015, these climbs have raised more than $500,000 to support charitable partners and provide direct financial relief to families facing the cost of treatment.
The idea is simple. Choose a mountain. Plan the climb. Train hard. Then go after the summit. We cover all climbs related expenses so every dollar donated goes directly to the families we support.
Over the years, we've taken on incredible mountains around the world. Some years we reach the summit. Some years we don't. But that's never the point.
We don't climb for the challenge. We climb for the kids!
The latest climb keeps the mission moving.
The 10th Annual CFTK reached the summit of Mount Baker and raised nearly $14,000 for Friends of Kids with Cancer.
The latest film turns that effort into a story donors can see, share, and rally behind.
$500K+
Raised since 2015
10+
Organizations supported
1,000+
Individual and business donors
How It Started
A mountain became the fundraising model.
Ryan Kelley met Alec while volunteering at a children’s hospital and decided to turn an unorthodox idea into a public commitment: climb Mount Rainier and use the challenge to raise money for kids who needed help now.
That first climb proved the model. People respond when the mission is visible, specific, and difficult enough to make the cause feel real.
“Kids all over the world are battling serious illnesses that have completely changed their lives. That is why we climb. We take each step for kids who need our help.”
Keith Austin
KCF Board Member
Archive
Program archive
The annual climb has become a long-form record of what happens when challenge, film, and donor support keep reinforcing one another.
2015
May 1, 2015
1st Climb for the Kids, Rainier
The first summit that established the fundraising model and proved people would rally around a visible challenge.
Raised over $14,000 · Mt. Rainier, 14,411′
2016
April 1, 2016
2nd Climb for the Kids, Rainier
The team returned to Mount Rainier and showed the first climb was the beginning of an annual fundraising tradition.
Raised over $14,000 · Mt. Rainier, 14,411′
2017
April 1, 2017
3rd Climb for the Kids, Pikes Peak
A Colorado climb that kept the annual format moving and broadened the reach of the fundraiser.
Raised over $14,000 · Pikes Peak, 14,115′
2018
January 2, 2018
4th Climb for the Kids, Grand Teton
A Grand Teton ascent that pushed the event higher and helped the fundraising totals climb with it.
Raised over $30,000 · Grand Teton, 13,776′
2019
April 1, 2019
5th Climb for the Kids, Cotopaxi
A major Ecuador climb paired with the Switching the Summit documentary.
Raised over $50,000 · Cotopaxi, 19,347′
2021
May 14, 2021
7th Climb for the Kids, Alaska
A climb on the Kahiltna Glacier that anchored More Than A Crown.
Raised over $64,000 · Kahiltna Glacier, Alaska
2022
August 16, 2022
8th Climb for the Kids, Chimborazo
A 20,000-foot Ecuador summit that raised money for St. Jude.
Raised over $55,000 · Chimborazo Peak, Ecuador
2023
September 26, 2023
9th Climb for the Kids, Grand Canyon
A two-day Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim challenge that expanded the roster of beneficiary organizations.
Raised over $14,000 · Grand Canyon
2024
10th Annual Climb
10th Climb for the Kids, Mount Baker
The 10th annual climb reached the summit of Mount Baker and turned the milestone year into a new film about why the team keeps climbing.
Raised nearly $14,000 · Mount Baker, Washington
2025
December 2, 2025
11th Climb for the Kids, Pico de Orizaba
The 11th annual climb set its sights on Pico de Orizaba in Mexico, with every dollar aimed at direct medical relief for families facing childhood cancer treatment.
Campaign goal: $40,000 · Pico de Orizaba, Mexico, 18,491'
Partners and supporters
Who this program helps and who helps power it.
Program pages carry their own support context so annual campaigns can point to the right organizations, supporters, and stories.
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
A recurring benchmark partner for high-impact pediatric cancer funding.
Friends of Kids with Cancer
The latest annual climb beneficiary and a close-to-home example of practical impact.
Team Alec Forever
A mission-aligned organization that keeps Alec’s memory directly connected to family support.
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