Climbers remember late Jared Neville

More than $1,000 was raised for the Jared Neville Foundation Saturday during the University Recreation Center's sixth annual Reach Out Climb.

The event was open to students and the public who paid a fee to enter. It was $15 if one registered before Feb. 16 and $20 if they registered after Feb. 16.

About 80 people participated in the event. The proceeds from registration fees benefited the Jared Neville Foundation, which is commited to helping Western Virginia climbing sites.

Jared Neville was a student who died during the Spring of 2002 in a car accident, according to UREC graduate assistant Eric Deschamps, who helped run the event.

"This [event] is an opportunity to meet people and challenge yourself," Deschamps said.

Wilderness Voyagers, an outdoor wear and equipment store in Harrisonburg, sponsored the event.

Wilderness Voyagers sponsored the first Reach Out Climb and have done so the past three years as well, according to Theran Fisher, an employee for Wilderness Voyagers.

"The store provides a lot of the prizes and helps pay for the route setters and some of the other costs involved," Fisher said. Some of the prizes included backpacks, climbing gear and outdoor clothing, among other items.

Laurie Alderman came from Northern Virginia so that her 11-year-old daughter, Mariah Cutler, could compete.

"We heard about the climb because my other daughter goes to school here at JMU," Alderman said. Her daughter, Leah Cutler, is a freshman.