FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug 20 2015 12:00:00:000AM
News Media Contact: Joseph Barrios, (520) 884-3725, jbarrios@tep.com
TEP Sponsors 9/11 Tower Challenge to Benefit Veterans, First Responders
Tucson, Ariz. — Less than a month remains before hundreds of Tucson residents will gather at Arizona Stadium for the 9/11 Tower Challenge, a fundraiser sponsored by Tucson Electric Power (TEP) for two nonprofit organizations that aid first responders, military members and their families.
The event will begin at 7 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 11 at Arizona Stadium on the University of Arizona campus. Participants are challenged to climb 2,071 stadium steps – equivalent to the 110 floors in each World Trade Center tower – in memory of those who died on 9/11 and in honor of first responders and members of the military.
Funds raised during the event will support the 100 Club and Arizona Fisher House. The 100 Club provides financial assistance, peer support, stipends for safety equipment and scholarships to employees of public safety agencies and their families. Arizona Fisher House provides free, temporary housing to veterans and active military members who must travel to receive medical treatment.
Among the climbers participating in the 9/11 Tower Challenge will be a team of TEP employees who served in the U.S. military, including David G. Hutchens, TEP’s President and Chief Executive Officer.
“We’re proud to sponsor the 9/11 Tower Challenge in support of two great agencies that help improve the quality of life for the men and women who serve our community and our country,” said Hutchens, who served as a nuclear submarine officer in the U.S. Navy. “It’s our way of saying ‘thank you.'”
Participation in the climb is limited to active or retired public safety employees, military members and their family members. To sign up for the event or to make a donation, visit 911towerchallenge.org
Sponsorship of the event is part of TEP’s award-winning community service efforts, which include direct contributions, in-kind services and volunteer support for local nonprofit groups. In 2014, TEP contributed more than $1 million to charitable causes, while employees joined their friends and family in contributing 25,000 volunteer hours to more than 260 nonprofit groups. All grants and contributions are funded from corporate resources, not customers’ rates.
Tucson Electric Power provides safe, reliable electric service to approximately 414,000 customers in southern Arizona. For more information about TEP’s community involvement and contributions, visit tep.com.
