KSHB 41 reporter Alyssa Jackson covers portions of Johnson County, including Overland Park, Prairie Village and Leawood. Share your story idea with Alyssa.
Before the Kansas City Chiefs' home opener later this month at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, the stands will be packed for a different reason.
For the second year in a row, Lexi Johnson, owner of fitness brand Lexi J Wellness, will host a 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb at the Chief's stadium.
"I was very young when 9/11 happened, but if our true goal is to never forget, it will eventually be passed on to those who weren't adults," she said.
Participants will climb the equivalent of 110 stories, paying tribute to first responders who climbed 110 stories in the World Trade Center's Twin Towers on Sept. 11, 2001.
Johnson thought of the idea after participating in a stair climb a few years ago.
"My dad has been a firefighter for 30 plus years, my brother has been a firefighter for over a decade. I grew up with the first responder family. My dad was gone every third day, and that impacted my life heavily," Johnson said.
She has an appreciation for the sacrifice of the job and remembers the toll of losing a first responder in the line of duty.
"When I was in elementary school, my dad had been a firefighter over a decade, and I remember someone on his shift died in a structure fire," Johnson recalls. "I remember seeing the toughest guy I know, my dad, breaking down and going to that funeral, seeing all my 'uncles,' kind of adopted uncles, the people I went and visited at the station and grew up around. They were so devastated they lost a friend, lost a brother. That really struck home with me."
The stair climb comes at a sensitive time for the law enforcement community.
Wyandotte County Deputy Elijah Ming and Kansas City, Kansas, Officer Hunter Simoncic were killed one month apart.
"In the recent months, Kansas City [Kansas] has had two line-of-duty deaths," Johnson said. "There are families out there grieving and losing their loved ones."
The Surviving Spouse and Family Endowment Fund (SAFE) delivers a $40,000 check to families of fallen first responders in the Kansas City-metro area.
All proceeds from the stair climb benefit the SAFE foundation.
"They have to deliver on that promise," Johnson said. "They only can deliver based on donations, based on events like this."
Last year, Johnson's event raised $22,117. The fundraising goal is to triple that and raise $60,000 for SAFE.
The event aims to reflect on the sacrifices of first responder heroes in 2001 and cover a SAFE payment in full.
You can buy tickets to participate, spectate or donate here.
