This past weekend, hundreds of participants came out to take on this challenge with bright smiles on their faces and determination in their eyes, climbing 53 Floors and 1019 stairs to the top of Philadelphia’s Mellon Bank Center, for our 23rd Annual Stair Climb to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF).

The CFF is a nonprofit donor-supported organization that seeks to cure and control cystic fibrosis and improve the quality of life for those living with the disease.  We’ve built a long and valuable relationship with the CFF and have been sponsoring the Stair Climb almost since its inception.  Each year, we invite participants to fuel up before the event at our Wawa breakfast tent and take an active role in cheering on participants, many of whom are Wawa Associates, as they embark on their climb.

As an organization that is dedicated to supporting children’s health initiatives, all of us at Wawa truly believe this event in particular supports the mission of the CFF in a unique and challenging way, and helps build the vital awareness and funds needed to find a cure.  And it’s clear from the outpouring of community support, we’re not alone. 

This year we included information about the Stair Climb on our coffee clutches in the weeks leading up to the event, so that our customers could start their days thinking about ways to take up the cause and do their part in the fight against cystic fibrosis.  The coffee clutches also prompted numerous conversations between our customers and store associates about people they knew who suffered from cystic fibrosis.

Through the years, we have been touched by the deep connection that participants in the CFF stair climb share with one another, despite being of all ages, fitness levels, and backgrounds. They’re united in their passion for one thing: Finding a cure for cystic fibrosis.

Although finding a cure is an uphill climb, we will keep climbing until we’ve reached our goal.  See you next year!

‘Till next time…