Local personal trainer Remembrance “Memmy” Staber inspires us with her zeal and dedication to No Barriers USA, a group formed by some friends with a passion for adventure and a true love of Mother Nature. They created the nonprofit organization in 2005 based on the idea that “each person, regardless of age, state of mind or physical condition, has a thirst for adventure and a hope for the future that is worthy of igniting.” The founders believe that everyone thrives in the outdoors and engaging in physical exercise.
Because so many disadvantaged Americans find themselves struggling, the members of No Barriers felt compelled to come up with a way to bring happiness, healing, triumph and an all-around rewarding life-changing experience to these people. The nonprofit now works with a remarkable program called Soldiers to Summit, which helps disabled veterans overcome their personal barriers and helps them reclaim their lives using mountaineering as a means to teach goal-setting. Participants learn to build strong teams, beat obstacles and are encouraged lead and serve others.
Soldiers for Summit and No Barriers discovered that a climb—or as they call it, an adventure—up a mountain with a group of good-willed, understanding individuals offers a way for these veterans to reconnect and feel alive again.
After her first climb with No Barriers USA on the tallest mountain in Colorado, Mount Elbert, Staber was so energized that she wanted to organize an outing herself. She convinced Dave Shurman, executive director of No Barriers USA, to undertake a climb in the laid-back burg of Asheville, North Carolina to raise money for the organization.
The Asheville event on Mount Mitchell, the highest mountain on the Eastern Seaboard at 6,684 feet, will be the first-ever East Coast No Barriers USA climb. The first 30 participants to raise or donate $500 to No Barriers USA will join the 11.4-mile trek on June 28.
Staber is very excited about the powerful impact the climb will have on others. “I embrace the No Barriers mind-set,” she says. “There is nothing that would stop me from doing anything, and that’s why I want to do this fundraiser—because I live that mind-set every day.”
Memmy Staber with adventurer and motivational speaker Jeff Evans.
Following the June 28 climb, the weekend will include a showing at the Asheville Brewing Company on the 29th of the documentary High Ground, which follows the first Soldiers to Summits team in 2010 as 11 veterans learn to conquer their adversities and overcome challenges while climbing Mount Lobuche.
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