Climbing for the Skinks!
Meet Bryan Roach; cyclist, hiker, father, husband, self-proclaimed science geek, trivia enthusiast and longtime tower climber. He has been climbing for WWF-Canada since our first Canada Life CN Tower Climb in 1991! It all started 25 years ago when he was in university and saw the climb advertised; he knew that WWF was a leader in conservation and thought it would be a fun activity. Ever since, he has enjoyed the physical challenge while also raising money for a cause he believes is excellent.
While many people are climbing for the polar bear, their favourite whale or the giant panda, Bryan does it for the skink. The five-lined skink is small endangered lizard with smooth shiny skin that helps to motivate Bryan. For 25 years he has also been motivated by hearing the sound of volunteer voices a couple of flights from the finish line and seeing WWF’s very own Monte Hummel at the bottom of the tower, who’s work he has always admired. In turn, for 25 years we have been motivated by seeing loyal supporters like Bryan ascend 144 flights to support the work we do. Thank you Bryan!
This year Bryan’s goals is to fundraise $1,000, recruit friends to join him and climb to the top in under 30 minutes. He has almost reached his fundraising goal and recruited five climbers to join him, so making it to the top is about all that’s left.
One of his recruits is his sister, Katherine Roach, who first joined him on his 19th trip up the tower. She has continued to climb with Bryan ever since as a personal achievement and to raise funds for WWF’s conservation efforts. Her brother continues to inspire her year after year, but her newly adopted sons are now the main motivation for her to climb and fundraise for a better future. This year Katherine’s goals are to improve her time by 5-10 minutes and fundraise $500, up from last year’s $300 fundraising goal which she surpassed. We wish Katherine the best of luck in achieving both her goals.
Thank you Bryan and Katherine for your many years of support and for sharing your stories with us and other climbers.
Join WWF-Canada on April 25 & 26 in celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Canada Life CN Tower Climb and help protect species at risk, and the critical habitats they need to survive. There’s never been a better time to lead the pack for wildlife conservation. Visit wwf.ca/cntower to register!
