4,000 set to climb stairs of Los Angeles' tallest building

LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Organizers expect 4,000 participants for Friday's 24th annual Stair Climb for Los Angeles, climbing the 1,664 stairs of the 75-story U.S. Bank Tower, the tallest stairwell west of the Mississippi River.

Participants will include firefighters, law enforcement officers, members of the military and children as young as 8 years old.

Registration begins at 10:30 a.m. at the Ketchum-Downtown YMCA. A block party will be held from noon-9 p.m. in connection with the stair climb.

The stair climb serves as a fundraiser for the Ketchum-Downtown YMCA's programs in youth development, healthy living and social responsibility, according to Erin Kane, communications manager for the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles.

The fundraising goal is $755,000, Kane said.