Common Ground begins supporting Middle School Climbing Club

Hannah Imrem / 4 Min Read / Oct 28, 2023

Common Ground is excited to share about a brand new partnership that is being developed to help enrich the lives of kids in our community. Hannah Imrem is a life-long resident of Central Oregon and currently serves as a middle school counselor at Obsidian Middle School in Redmond, Oregon. Hannah connected with Common Ground through attending On This Rock in 2021 and reached out this past summer to see if we’d be open to supporting an amazing initiative she is leading for middle schoolers in Redmond’s public schools. We’ll let Hannah share more about what’s she's been up to and how we can help:

Last year I had the amazing opportunity to start a climbing club for our students. Thanks to a generous “enrichment” grant given to our school district during COVID, I was able to introduce 15 middle school students to rock climbing. Our club was dedicated to inclusion, teamwork, and personal growth, and club members thrived in their new-found sport.

As a middle school counselor, I know how challenging these years can be for students. In case you’re unfamiliar with middle school - it is a wild time. These years are some of the most crucial in students’ lives as they navigate friendships, academics, and piecing together their own identities. I especially saw a gap in services for activities that weren’t for the “traditional” student athlete. Our club set the expectation that everyone was welcome, regardless of ability level, gender, race, age, or socio-economic standing. With our enrichment grant we were able to provide students with two months of indoor climbing lessons, including transportation and rental equipment at no cost to the families of our participants.

“Our club set the expectation that everyone was welcome, regardless of ability level, gender, race, age, or socio-economic standing.”

I lost count of how many times parents conveyed their gratitude for providing a club that was financially viable for their family. As our club wrapped up, I reached out to club members and families to inquire if they’d be interested in participating in the future. Many said they would love to continue with the sport, but wouldn’t be able to afford summer camps or gym memberships on their own.

We are now starting to fundraise and are hoping to raise enough funds to cover the costs for middle schoolers in Redmond (both at Elton Gregory and Obsidian Middle Schools) to attend a climbing club for the 2023-2024 school year. If funding permits, our club will run for approximately two months, with eight instruction days, two outdoor climbing days, and a climbing competition between both schools. Between instruction days, students would have the opportunity to access The Jug climbing gym independently during our club months.

“I lost count of how many times parents conveyed their gratitude for providing a club that was financially viable for their family.”

In my youth climbing gave me confidence, courage, and kept me on a positive path through school and peer pressure. Time spent outdoors kept me grounded and acutely aware of powers greater than myself. I want to give students the opportunities I had to build themselves up and connect with the outdoors. I am blown away by the number of students who have never seen Smith Rock in person despite living in Redmond their whole lives. It feels criminal that something so glorious and close is inaccessible to the students in our community who could most positively benefit from active outdoor pursuits.

We appreciate any assistance in creating these lasting memories for our students - and I am confident that your generosity will have a ripple effect. Together we can create lifelong adventurers! Thank you so much for your consideration and generosity.”

“It feels criminal that something so glorious and close is inaccessible to the students in our community who could most positively benefit from active outdoor pursuits.”

As you can see, Hannah’s vision to enrich the lives of local kids and their families is making a difference in our community and couldn’t be more excited to support her and these kids. Here’s what we’re doing: Common Ground is assisting in covering the cost and organizing the logistics of taking the climbing club kids to climb outdoors at Smith Rock State Park twice this coming Spring.

In addition, Common Ground is contributing $1,500 dollars as a matching fund to support the expenses of the club’s operation, which is where you come in! If you would like to support this climbing club financially and have each dollar you contribute matched, click the give button below to be taken to Common Ground’s giving page so that you can donate via one of our two giving platforms.