Congratulations to the Seminary’s Stair Climb Team, which climbed up 40 stories (856 steps) March 24 and raised $2,000 for the American Lung Association (ALA) during the Fight for Air Climb stair climb race. A team of 13 Seminary students, staff and friends participated this year in the event held in the Metropolitan Square Building in downtown St. Louis.

The climb raises money for research, patient education and advocacy efforts, especially for those living with asthma, lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This race is one of 52 like it around the country throughout the year, and the events raise more than $8 million.

The goal for this year’s local event was $380,000, raised by 1,138 climb participants.

The Seminary’s team was the ninth largest fundraising “corporate” team in St. Louis. The top fundraisers on the team were Melodie Bostic ($1,093) and Carla Becherer ($300).

Anyone who would still like to donate toward the ALA and the Seminary team can go to action.lung.org/site/TR?fr_id=16108&pg=pfind and donate in the name of one of the team members or to the whole team.

The staff team members this year included Captain Dr. Rick Marrs, Bostic and Becherer. Students included Tim Evans, David LaFore, Ahren Reiter, Andrew Wolfgram and Jennifer Wientge. Spouses included Laura Marrs, Christina Reiter and Mike Wientge (a fireman whose daughter, Shelly, climbed for him when he was called to duty that morning). Seminary friends on the team included Rev. Matthew Wood and Karen Geninatti.

Four team members did the Ultimate Climb, which is an hour-long race to see how many times they could climb the building. Reiter took second place overall in the Ultimate Climb, climbing the Met eight times. Geninatti and Rick Marrs each climbed it six times, placing 20th and 21st, respectively. Becherer climbed it five times and placed 45th overall.

Reiter’s fastest single climb of 5:02 placed him third overall. Geninatti, a nationally ranked climber, won the women’s 60- to 69-year-old age division with a time of 7:36. The Seminary’s team time (fastest three climbers of Reiter, Rick Marrs at 7:11 and Wolfgram at 7:22) will likely earn third or fourth place in the team rankings (which have not yet been posted).

“Thank you to all who supported our team this year and in the past years,” Rick Marrs said.