Hundreds of Indiana residents or “Hoosiers” as they are called climbed the Salesforce Inc (NYSE: CRM) (ETR: FOO) Tower on Saturday morning for a lung disease fundraising initiative. They hoofed their way up over 1,050 steps while ascending through 47 floors. The structure is the tallest in Indianapolis.
The American Lung Association’s (ALA) Fight for Air Climb raked in over US$210,000 in Indiana this year alone. Over 1.1 million state residents currently suffer from lung diseases.
“I lost my best friend to lung cancer, he was a father and a husband, so we do this every year to honour him,” one participant at the Salesforce Tower said.
The event is held in an assortment of tall buildings and stadiums throughout the United States. Another group just scaled stairs at the loanDepot park building in Miami to raise awareness about respiratory illnesses while others climbed the Oakbrook Terrace Tower in Illinois.
On average, the fundraising campaign is held in over 30 states each year. More than 25,000 people participate, pulling together a sum in excess of US$7 million annually.
Firefighters and first responders often like to take part. Funds go toward research, advocacy and education to aid with fighting lung diseases.
Today, #MDFR, alongside @local1403 and the MDFR Cadets, took on the @LungAssociation’s #FightForAirClimb at @loanDepotpark. With every step, our firefighters and community members climbed in solidarity to raise awareness and funds for the fight against lung disease. Thanks to… pic.twitter.com/hlEZlVCUy6
— Miami-Dade Fire Rescue (@MiamiDadeFire) March 9, 2025
Read more: Breath Diagnostics onboards new president and closes critical financing
Read more: Breath Diagnostics pioneers novel lung cancer breath test
One of many initiatives from the ALA
The Fight for Air Climb is a key undertaking by the organization, but its leadership has been demonstrated in several other ways.
The association has been running a Freedom from Smoking program for the past four decades. It provides smokers with resources to help them kick their habit and has had a high success rate.
The ALA is also responsible for clean air advocacy and has been actively involved with assessing the air quality in different American cities. The organization has been publishing a “State of the Air Report” since 2000.
Radon mitigation in schools is another area of concern for the ALA.
To date, it has contributed over US$221 million to lung health research and programs.
rowan@mugglehead.com
