Rock climber launches nonprofit to give at-risk youth access to ‘uplifting’ sport

Resting betwixt routes, Ted Pappageorge sat backmost connected the stone climbing gym’s clang pads stained with achromatic chalk, overwhelmed by his surroundings.

An aerialist spun successful the air, suspended by silk fabric. Beneath her, wrong a cave of indoor routes, a radical of climbers flowed done yoga poses, guided by an instructor. On the walls each astir him, climbers reached for integrative holds, balancing their feet connected tiny footholds similar a dance.

Pappageorge thought: “Wow, this is amazing.”

“I was conscionable surrounded by each this wellness. In that moment, I thought astir however six, 7 years ago, I would beryllium sitting drunk successful a bar, and present I’m here,” Pappageorge recalled connected a caller November day wrong a downtown Las Vegas java shop. “If idiosyncratic had shown maine this erstwhile I was 12, my beingness would person been drastically different.”

As helium stood wrong Nevada Climbing Center that time six months ago, “a lightbulb went off,” helium said.

Since then, Pappageorge has made large strides to motorboat Higher Ground Climbing and Wellness, a nonprofit enactment that aims to present underprivileged younker to stone climbing — perchance the archetypal nonprofit of its benignant successful Las Vegas, according to a reappraisal of 501c3 taxation filings successful Nevada.

He’s formed a three-member nonprofit board, raised astir $8,000 and hosted 2 events successful concern with the Metropolitan Police Department’s DREAM younker mentoring program.

“There is simply a important fig of at-risk younker successful Vegas that would payment from the consciousness of assemblage and uplifting vigor that climbing offers,” Pappageorge said. “Higher Ground volition supply entree to a athletics that these younker mightiness not person for a batch of reasons, similar finances oregon transportation.”

‘It took implicit my life’

One of the constabulary officers who helped make DREAM — an acronym for discover, redirect, empower, advocator and mentor — present sits connected the committee of Higher Ground.

Youth participants of the Metropolitan Police Department's DREAM programme springiness indoor stone climbing a effort astatine Nevada Climbing Center successful October during a associated lawsuit with section climber Ted Pappageorge, center, who is starting a nonprofit to get at-risk younker successful Southern Nevada progressive successful stone climbing. (Stephen Greathouse)

“Being astatine the events and seeing the joyousness connected the kids’ faces, however overmuch they enjoyed stone climbing, it was decidedly thing that I wanted to beryllium a portion of,” Metro serviceman Donte’ Batiste told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “We recognize that for a batch of the inner-city kids we interact with, stone climbing is thing that they’d ne'er deliberation of doing.”

Such was the lawsuit for Pappageorge, present 35, who grew up successful Las Vegas and began drinking and partying successful his aboriginal teens.

“I partook successful a batch of destructive behaviour erstwhile I was younger,” helium recalled. “It decidedly hindered my achievements.”

It’s a signifier of his beingness that would agelong into his aboriginal 30s.

“Until I recovered thing that I loved much than partying,” helium said. “Some radical aren’t truthful lucky.”

A day brought him to a climbing gym — Nevada Climbing Center — for the archetypal clip successful his beingness a small implicit a twelvemonth ago.

The acquisition was metamorphic. He returned to the gym the pursuing day.

“I conscionable kept climbing,” helium said, “and it took implicit my life.”

Pappageorge hopes that his enactment done Higher Ground volition person the aforesaid effect connected at-risk younker successful the valley.

“I deliberation helium decidedly has a large idea,” Batiste said. “Any assistance that I tin beryllium successful presumption of elevating it to the adjacent level, I decidedly privation to bash that.”

The stone climber and the serviceman met successful July done a communal friend, aft a graduation ceremonial for the archetypal cohort of DREAM participants. Pappageorge was brimming with ideas. Batiste was impressed.

“The biggest driving origin was Ted’s passionateness to assistance retired the younker and that transportation we person successful regards to making definite we tin assistance those who are successful request who don’t person an outlet,” helium said. “That mode they don’t spell down a slippery slope.”

What’s next?

Though inactive successful its infancy, to date, Higher Ground has introduced 23 kids and teens to the athletics astatine Nevada Climbing Center successful concern with Metro’s DREAM program. Pappageorge hopes to aboriginal grow to different climbing gyms successful the valley.

In betwixt events, helium and his committee members person been engaged with fundraising and paperwork. In September, they raised $5,000 wrong 9 hours done an ongoing GoFundMe campaign — wealth that has gone toward licensing and incorporation fees, climbing instrumentality and gym clip for the youth, and selling materials, according to Pappageorge.

With those funds, Pappageorge besides was capable to record for a Nevada authorities concern licence up of Christmas. Next, helium said, helium volition tackle the exertion for nonprofit national taxation status.

In the meantime, Higher Ground and DREAM are acceptable to present a 3rd people of at-risk younker to stone climbing aboriginal adjacent year.

But ultimately, erstwhile much funds are raised, Pappageorge said helium plans to make a afloat indoor grooming program that would hole Higher Ground participants for outdoor climbing.

“In the climbing world,” Pappageorge said, “it’s a large woody erstwhile you archetypal marque the modulation from the gym to the crag arsenic we telephone it. So the existent ngo is for america to get the kids retired connected existent stone truthful they tin person that mind-blowing infinitesimal with nature.”

Pappageorge said it’s important to him that Higher Ground springiness the kids and teens a extremity to enactment toward together.

“The fantastic happening astir climbing is that everyone’s connected the aforesaid team,” helium said, “and it’s a truly beauteous thing.”

Contact Rio Lacanlale astatine rlacanlale@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-383-0381. Follow @riolacanlale connected Twitter.