The Climb For Kids Organization
Mission
Climb For Kids is a non-profit organization that was established in late 2007 whose primariy goal is to raise money for fetal syndrome research. We are following a special avenue in fund raising where the mission is to have fun, challenge yourself, and raise awareness for syndromes that are effecting more and more kids each year. Twice as many babies die from twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) and other fetal syndromes than from SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) each year; yet more people are aware of SIDS.
The goals of Climb For Kids are to:
- Raise awareness of fetal syndromes such as TTTS
- Raise money for fetal syndrome research
- Help other parents who can not afford treatment
- Build a community of people and parents who want to help
People
Matt Kowalczyk - Founder/Director
Matt is a long time recreational mountaineer and devoted family man. He is also an established entrepreneur who has a long history in the rich technology community of Seattle. In 2007 he discovered that his unborn twins had developed TTTS, and after a stressful couple of months, one of his twin girls passed away due to complications caused by TTTS. Instead of dwelling on the death of one of his children, Matt decided to focus his energy elsewhere.
Matt wanted to give back to the community that helped him, so he combined the 2 things he knew the most about, climbing and startups, to establish the non-profit organization known as "Climb For Kids". You can read more about the ups and downs of his children's story from his personal blog.
Ellen Kowalczyk - Director
Ellen Kowalczyk is a long time program and business manager specializing in security at Microsoft. She is the wife of Matt and is the mother of Emma and Ella.
Dr. Peter Wall - Director
Dr. Wall joined Eastside Maternal Fetal Medicine in 2004, after completing a Fellowship in Maternal Fetal Medicine at the University of Rochester. When not actively engaged in the care of patients, he likes to spend time with his wife and three children. He rarely turns down an opportunity to play golf with good friends.
James Goodman - Director
An avid and accomplished climber/mountaineer when he was younger, James transitioned his travel/adventure lust into entrepreneurship and the "event" business. As a Ticketmaster employee, he was the first to identify/conceptualize online's potential, and was a founder of Ticketmaster Online. After Ticketmaster, James ran ticketing worldwide for Walt Disney Theatrical Productions and later was VP of Strategy for Tickets.com, where he helped create its ticketing success. James currently spends his time consulting and working with non-profits with their event/ticketing needs.