Aggies Elevated Student to Climb for a Cause

What would you do for a program that changed the course of your life?

Troy Shumway is climbing Tanzania’s Mt. Kilimanjaro — at 19,341 feet, the highest mountain on the African continent — in June 2015.

He’s doing it to raise awareness — and money — for Aggies Elevated, a privately funded, two-year program at Utah State University’s Center for Persons with Disabilities.

Aggies Elevated with the tagline “Climb Higher,” offers a real-life college experience to young adults with intellectual disabilities. Young adults who have the same dreams and aspirations as other college students, but who, until recently, have not had the same opportunities.

Troy is one of those students. The 20-year-old San Diego, Calif., native, who loves Marvel comics and action movies, is completing his first year at Aggies Elevated and has experienced the program’s benefits first-hand. And now he intends to pay it forward, by climbing higher than he has ever has before.

“It would be great to have other kids with disabilities be able to come to college and learn to be more independent, like I did,” Troy said.

Troy wants to use his climb to give another student the opportunity he’s embraced at Utah State. He wants to raise $40,000 — the amount it costs to fund the academic and social supports including mentors, tutors and staff — for one Aggies Elevated student. Anything over $40,000 means additional students can be supported.

In his fundraising effort, Troy has set several creative donation levels, including a $19 donation because Mt. Kilimanjaro is more than 19,000 feet high, or $98 because Mt. Kilimanjaro is more than 9,800 miles from his hometown of San Diego.

Those interested in making a donation to support Troy’s efforts and the Aggies Elevated program should contact Shane Johnson at 435-797-9070.

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Contact: Sue Reeves at 435-797-1977

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