The 952 step climb is Nov. 20. This unique event is the only day of the year when the Tower of Americas stairs are open.
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For the past 17 years, Sam Reyes, facilities management, has climbed the Tower of Americas at least once up and once down to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Reyes is the team captain of the UT Climbers, a group of 12-15 people who climb every year. As team captain he will go back down after making the climb to the top to make sure his team is OK as they climb. The 952 step climb is Nov. 20. This unique event is the only day of the year when the Tower of Americas' stairs are open.

Climbing stairs at the tower won’t be the only exercise Reyes gets this year. Reyes also spends time prior to the event walking around campus asking people in every department to sponsor him and his team in their climb. Last year they collected more than $2,000. The Lone Star Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, which is San Antonio’s chapter, raises as much as $30,000 - $50,000 each year at the climb, all of which goes to research.

Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic disease in which a defective gene causes the body to produce abnormally thick and sticky mucus that clogs the lungs and can lead to lung infections. The pancreas is also affected when secretions block digestive enzymes from reaching the intestines to help break down food. Nearly 30,000 children and adults in the United States have the disease, while 1,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation works towards improving the quality of life for those with the disease while also working, through research, to cure and control the disease.

Last year, a team of 15 School of Allied Health Sciences students raised more than $900 for the Cystic Fibrosis Tower Climb. 2003 was the first year that the School of Allied Health Sciences had a team.