Outreach: Community Service

At Touchstone Climbing, we are dedicated to being an active member of our neighborhood and to giving back to our community. Since we first opened, it has been a high priority for us to reach out to individuals and groups in the communities that we serve. We are committed to offering youth-at-risk and adults-in-need a unique experience where they can push beyond their own preconceived notions of their limits to explore a potential which might otherwise go unrecognized. We are also committed to supporting local schools and other charitable events through donations to a wide variety of fundraisers. Here is a partial list of some of the groups Touchstone has supported.

Donations Given:

2012

Chinatown Youth Community Center
Mission High
Pathways for Success
Immaculate Conception Academy
Bayview YMCA
Paul Revere
Archbishop
SEO Scholars
Burton High School
Canon Barcus
Lick Wlimerding
SFSU -Grow through Adventures
Friends School
CASA -Children's After School for Arts
Islamic School
Gateway High School
Wind School
Kings Canyon Middle School
Sanger Boys & Girls Club
Womens Empowerment
Options For Youth
Malcolm X Elementary School
Hearts Leap School
Pet Network Humane Society
Park Day Scool
Ross Valley Nursery School
The Saklan School
Oakland Tech
German International School of Silicon Valley
Piedmont Children's Choir
Prospect Sierra
Highlands Preschool
BAM PTA
Blue Skies for Children
Disabled Sports USA Far West
Madera Elementary School
Joaquin Miller Elementary School
Ecole Bilingue de Berkeley
Buddhist Church of Oakland
Jefferson School PTA
El Cerrito Preschool
Childhood Illness Support
Emerson Fund
Venetia Valley PTA
The Principled Academy
Bay Area Rescue Mission
Walden Center and School
Ella Baker Center for Human Rights
Monteverde School
Family Catholic Education
Children's Health Guild
Le Conte Elementary PTA
Camp Kesem berkeley
Montclair Community Play Center
East Bay Agency For Children
Eggster
Expanding Your Horizons
Golden Bear Rec Center
North Oakland Community Charter School
Associated Parents Club of Piedmont
I Run 4 Cal 5k
Affordable Housing Assoc.
Leukemia and Lymphona Society
Sun Valley School
School of the Madeleine
Hayward High School
Global Exchange
St. James Christian School
St. Baldricks
Berkeley Budhist Temple
Womens Daytime Drop In
Family bridges
YES
Habitot Childrens Museum
The Berkeley School
Marin Elementary
Berkeley Youth Orchestra
Escuela Bilingue
Goodwill Industries
SWE Society of Women Engineers
CEID
John Muir School
The Berkeley Chess School
Medicine in Action
Willard Middle School
Peter Pan Nurery
Asian Health services
Asian American Cancer Support Network
Oakland east bay gay men's chorus
Berkeley Humane Society
Oakland Fire Fighters
Mustard Seed
Wind School
Mustard Seed
Therapeutic Rec. Services
Womens Empowerment
CHP/SWAT

2011
Contra Costa Interfaith Housing
Oakland Tech
SF Friends School
Clovis Boys & Girls Club
Wellsprings Academy
La Piccola Scuola Italiana
Girl Ventures
Clovis Boys & Girls Club
CAVA
Contra Costa Interfaith Housing
Girl Ventures
Oakland Tech
Oakland School for the Arts
Fresno Co. Search & Rescue
Fresno County Sheriff's Dept.
10,000 Degrees
Saint Paul's Parish
SF Friends School
St. Francis' Episcopal Church
Young Women's Development
Scuderia West
SF Bicycle Coalition's Winter Fest
Oakes
Mission Graduates
Central elementary School
Environmental Traveling Companions
SF Hep B Free
Cal Prep
Marchus School
Girl Ventures
SF Friends School
Children's Hospital
Fresno Police Department
Oakland Tech
Oakland School for the Arts
Joshua Israel
B.O.R.P.
Bayview Beacon
RES (Redefining Educational Services) Success
Oakland Tech
Oakland School for the Arts
Grow Through Adventure
Clovis Boys & Girls Club
All Stars Project Inc.
Egise & Ecole Norte Dame Des Victoire
Glenridge Nursery School
La Cultura Cura
Pathways for Kids
Saints Cyril & Methodius School/Church
The Imagine Bus Project
SF Friends School
Turning Heads Sewing & Fashion Design Program

Adaptive Sports at MetalMark

A few weeks ago, 12 kids from the Children's Hospital Adaptive Sports program headed over to MetalMark in Fresno. The program provides recreational and athletic experiences for those with disabilities. The kids that came out had an excellent time, fighting their way up the walls.

Adaptivesports1

This young girl was a parapalgeic who managed to campus her way up the wall. The individuals in the groups have physical and health impairments ranging from cerebral palsy to spinal cord injuries. Through hard work and determination, the kids learn that they are able to have athletic lives.
Adaptive sports 2

The students have taken multiple trips to MetalMark and plan on returning again soon. This truly inspiring group had a blast at MetalMark.

Bridges School at DRG

On Wednesday, January 18th, a group of young adults from the Bridges School in Martinez headed over to Diablo Rock Gym. The group learned the basics of rock climbing. They were taught basic rock climbing technigue, knot tying, and the importance of belaying safely.

Bridges School

"We have been coming here for years. The participants always talk about this experience more than any of our other outings,"said the facilitator from the Bridge School. "They are always asking when the next visit will be. Thanks so much for having us."

Groups like these come to Diablo Rock Gym and the other Touchstone gyms often. They are a great chance to spend time with a group building team skills and cooperative behavior. They are also a ton of fun.

Wellspring Academy

Wellspring Academy Heads to MetalMark

Climbing is a great way to get into shape and have fun. With movement that requires strong muscles from fingers, back, to calves, rock climbing provides the exercise needed to lose weight and tone your body. Recently, MetalMark had a group of students from Wellspring Academies, a weight loss boarding schools for overweight teens and young adults. The school focuses on helping students change their lifestyles to maintain a healthy body and mind.

Aug 25 Outting 106

Cal Prep at Ironworks

Cal Prep Heads to Ironworks

On October 12th, fifteen students from Cal Prep headed to Berkeley Ironworks to check out the climbing gym. The students were completely new to rock climbing but the Ironworks staff helped the kids climb for the first time. “The instructors were incredibly conscientious, patient, enthusiastic and skilled, which made the whole experience all the more enjoyable,” said Rachel Niederman, a faculty member at Cal Prep. “The gear check-out/check-in was easy, and the gym was so impressive and exciting for our students to see.”

BORP Comes to Ironworks

Last Week, Trooper Johnson, the Youth Sports Program Coordinator, and a half dozen kids from BORP, the Bay Area Outreach and Recreation Program, headed over to Berkeley Ironworks. BORP is the leading provider and promoter of accessible sports and recreation opportunities for children and adults with physical disabilities in the greater San Francisco Bay Area. Using ascenders, strong upper bodies, and some technique, the kids had the opportunity to climb for the very first time.

Help Rebuild Needles Outlook

Help Rebuild the Needles Outlook

On July 28, 2011, the famous fire lookout at The Needles in Sequoia National Forest was destroyed by fire. Margee Kelly, the USFS Forestry Technician who has made the tower her residence for more than twenty summers, baking cookies for thousands of Needle's climbers, escaped safely, but the lookout is a total loss.

An ember from the wood stove landed on the shake roof of The Needles Fire Lookout sparking a fire that quickly spread along the roof and eventually into the attic. Grabbing the fire extinguisher Margee fought to put the fire out, even climbing up on a ladder placed on the catwalk in an attempt to get closer to the blaze.

Cub Scouts at Diablo Rock Gym

Last weekend, 16 Cub scouts and parents from San Ramon spent the night at Diablo Rock Gym. The 6 to 10 year-olds started the night off with pizza, climbing, and then some sleep that night in the gym. Climbing fits in perfectly with the Cub Scouts theme. The cubs often go hiking, camping, and on other outdoor adventures.

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