Courageous Kids Climbing event filling up

Event to be held at Wild Walls on April 23

Brian Schaeffer, Assistant Fire Chief, 509.625.7002

Saturday, April 9, 2016 at 11 a.m.

The Spokane Fire Department and the Courageous Kids Climbing group announced today that reserved spots in the Saturday, April 23 free climbing event for children with special needs are starting to fill up. Twenty children will be invited to participate in the event which runs from 10 am until noon at Wild Walls, 202 W Second Ave. in Spokane.

Courageous Kids Climbing is a non-profit organization that provides free opportunities for children with special needs, both physical and intellectual, to experience the various forms of rock climbing. They also sponsor a Courageous Kids Scholarship Fund at the University of Idaho for students with special needs.

For children with intellectual challenges, climbing can be an excellent opportunity for a variety of reasons. It has been shown that climbing can increase spatial perception, hand-eye coordination and balance. It also teaches children about advance planning, problem-solving and goal-setting skills that are useful not only in school, but in life.

For children with physical challenges, the organization has a variety of harnesses that allow these courageous climbers to experience climbing on a wall first-hand. The Spokane Fire Department technical rescue team will be at the event to serve as mentors for the kids and assist with the technical and safety aspects of the climbing equipment.

Reservations are accepted on a first come – first served basis and can be made by sending an e-mail to the event coordinator at jeffriechman@cs.com. For more information: Jeff Riechmann, 300 Mountain Cove Court, McCall, ID. 83638-4501.