Lerner and Rowe Gives Back is honored to once again sponsor the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb at Talking Stick Fields in Scottsdale, Arizona. This annual event honors the memory of the heroic men and women who selflessly gave their lives during the tragic aftermath of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001. 

Additionally, the Salt Water 9/11 Stair Climb specifically raises funds to support programs provided by the NFFF to assist families of local fallen firefighters and the FDNY Counseling Services Unit. 

9/11 Commemorative Stair Climb in Scottsdale 

For the fifth year, participants will gather to climb the equivalent of 110 stories in representation of the 110 stories inside the World Trade Center. Each climber will have the honor of carrying a photo of one of our fallen heroes. 

2021 9/11 Stair Climb details:

Date: Saturday, September 11

Time: Opening ceremonies begin at 6:30 p.m.

Location: Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in Scottsdale, AZ 

Please note that the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb at Talking Stick is open to the community and limited to 1,000 registrants. Learn more about how you too can get involved at nfff.akaraisin.com/ui/saltriver.  

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Photos from the 2021 Salt Water 9/11 Stair Climb:

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We are also excited to share that this was the best year yet for the Salt Water 9/11 Stair Climb! 1,000 climbers showed up to pay tribute and over $86,150 was raised to support the families of local fallen firefighters and the FDNY Counseling Services Unit. 

Our 2021 backpack giveaways wrapped up over the weekend with amazing turnouts at both of our community events in Merrillville, IN and Chicago, IL.

We were excited to have spent valuable time connecting with our neighbors and helping local students prepare for the upcoming school year by handing out 1,250 backpacks, school supplies, treats, and a dose of fun!

Some of the kids are even going back to school with fresh haircuts thanks to volunteers from Denmark College!

“I grew up really poor, and it kind of feels like being Robin Hood,” Glen Lerner said. “It’s a lot of fun to be able to touch people’s lives that need a little something extra. I know not everybody’s got everything going perfectly right now, so we want to be involved and say thank you for being part of the community.”

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 Photos from our 2021 Merrillville and Chicago Backpack Giveaways:

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$2,500 Donation Helps Local Students Prepare for New School Year

On Saturday, July 31, we joined other community organizations and individuals to show our support of local kids and law enforcement as a $2,500 bronze level sponsor of the Phoenix Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #2’s Cops and Kids Back to School event. 

The event united Phoenix Police Department Officers and public safety employees with over 50 elementary and high school students for a full day of shopping and fun in preparation of the new school year. 

Children and families were carefully selected and screened by a committee of local law enforcement officers to ensure they reached out to those most in need. 

Learn more about how you can join us in supporting future Phoenix Cops and Kids programs by visiting phxfoplodge2.org/donate.   

Another Back to School event on the books for 2021! We are thankful for our community partners at the Clark County School District Police that helped us give away a total of 1,000 FREE backpacks at The Boulevard Mall’s 2021 Back to School supplies fair!

Our team is also grateful for the Boulevard Mall for sharing this opportunity to give back to local students preparing for the new school year.

We wish all the students, their families, teachers, and school staff a productive and enriching 2021-2022 school year.

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Photos from the 2021 Boulevard Mall Back to School fair:

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Our Lerner and Rowe Gives Back team in Las Vegas rocked the North Las Vegas Police Department’s (NLVPD) Back To School Revive event, by barbecuing thousands of hot dogs to feed the families that came out to receive back to school supplies.

Attendees received backpacks and then proceeded through the vendor line to fill the packs with school supplies. They also received free haircuts, medical exams and so much more.

“Back to School events are one of the staples at Lerner and Rowe Gives Back. When it comes to making a difference in people’s lives, we love to serve our neighbors, and it is especially rewarding to provide their children with everything they need to get off to a good start at school. With the high cost to families, we are honored to serve our neighbors in need,” shared Glen Lerner.

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Photos from the 2021 NLVPD’s Back To School Revive event:

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Celebrating a Half-Century of Good Fellowship and Fresh Food

For the past 50 years Mobile Meals of Southern Arizona has provided millions of fresh, healthy, medically-tailored, and low-cost (or no-cost) meals to Pima County-area homebound seniors and adults with disabilities. Its volunteers have also provided fellowship and regular wellness checks to help nourish the souls of some of the most isolated and vulnerable individuals in our community. 

Its dedication to bringing light and wellness to those living with ongoing food insecurities made it an easy choice for us to accept the invitation to join its 50th Anniversary Celebration as a $2,000 supporting sponsor.    

Pandemic Causes Mobile Food Services to Skyrocket  

The COVID-19 pandemic is believed to be the main reason why Mobile Meals of Southern Arizona finished 2020 with a 100% increase in unduplicated client numbers.  

Now that we are over halfway through 2021, the need is still great. Find out how you can help this noble service offset some of their costs today at mobilemealssoaz.org. Your assistance would contribute to helping its clients keep their independent lifestyle for as long as possible.

More specifically, your donation helps people remain free of high financial and emotional costs associated with becoming dependent on around the clock care offered at nursing homes or assisted living care facilities.  

Slam Dunk Charitable Event Benefiting Student Athletes

Pass it Forward is a 501c-3 organization that serves as the non-profit arm of Arizona Select Basketball. Our team had the pleasure of stepping up and supporting its young athletes as the corporate sponsor of their first ever Pass it Forward fundraiser that was held at Top Golf. 

“Thanks to Lerner & Rowe, Arizona Select Basketball players will be able to hit the road in July and play in NCAA live events to help get exposure with college coaches watching,” shared Arizona Select Basketball on their Facebook page.  

We couldn’t be more excited for these young athletes and wish them all the best!

More about Arizona Select Basketball

Founded in 2015 by Ben Boyd, Arizona Select Basketball started out an elite girls basketball club program. Five years later, Ben Boyd partnered with John Ortega to absorb Ortega’s elite boys basketball club program that was previously known as Powerhouse Hoops. 

Since then, Arizona Select Basketball has become the most successful youth recruited club organization in Arizona, as well as one of the top basketball club organizations in the U.S. 

Their success is in part due to their mission to provide focused player development. Each club member is then given the chance to showcase their skills at high exposure basketball tournaments that are attended by college coaches. In short, everything they do is about putting their basketball players in the best position possible to pursue a college scholarship.

Our Lerner and Rowe Gives Back Las Vegas crew has been sponsoring an incredible program in the heart of 89169! We’ve teamed up with City Wide Power, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD), FREE International, the Golden Knights, and the National Hockey League Foundation to provide positive role modeling and life skills through sports to our inner-city youth.

Inner-City Youth Hockey Program for the Win

The program began four weeks ago with us teaching 30 kids who reside in 89169 how to play street hockey. Today, the kids were moved indoors out of the sweltering summer heat to learn how to ice skate at Lifeguard Arena. Players from the Golden Knights and LVMPD were on hand to outfit them with skates, jerseys, and helmets. Over the next several weeks they will be coached on how to play ice hockey and enjoy the camaraderie of being part of a positive sports environment.

“Partnering with organizations like City Wide Power, Las Vegas Metro PD, and the Golden Nights to provide our inner-city youth with  after-school activities and positive role models, is exactly why we formed our Lerner and Rowe Gives Back foundation,” shared Glen Lerner.

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Photos that capture the fun shared during the youth’s first day on the ice at Lifeguard Arena:

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Our Indiana and Illinois teams spent the last two weekends cleaning up over 100lbs of trash from our local beaches during Mermaid Straw’s 2021 Clean-up Days!

In 2020, we collected nearly 40lbs of trash from sandy hills at the Indiana Dunes State Park.

As summer kicks off, it’s important to keep our beaches, parks, and hiking trails clean and litter free.

Thank you to our staff and other local community members who came out to clean 31st Street beach in Chicago and those who participated in the clean-up at the Indiana Dunes State Park.

You can learn more about how Mermaid Straw works to keep plastic out of the environment at mermaidstraw.com

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On Saturday, May 29th at an annual United Community event held near East Flamingo Road and Boulder Highway, our Las Vegas outreach team was pleased to sponsor, serve hot dogs, and hand out water to 500 attendees. This free family-friendly event featured games and prizes for kids, face painting, as well as free dental, vision, and medical checkups.

“I am so glad that Las Vegas is beginning to reopen and that people once again have the opportunity to gather and enjoy community events with their neighbors. Our team has missed these types of events that allow us to serve our neighbors. We truly enjoy taking an active role in planned activities that help to improve the quality of life of those in need,” shared Glen Lerner.

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Photos from the annual Las Vegas United Community event:

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