CWA Blog Archive-Non-Profit Member Spotlight The Phoenix

Non-Profit Member Spotlight The Phoenix

Pdf Summary

This nonprofit member spotlight profiles The Phoenix, a national organization founded in 2006 and now operating in 48 states that helps people impacted by addiction build community within a framework of sobriety. Through varied programming including a strong focus on indoor rock climbing, The Phoenix connects individuals around shared passions and interests. CWA Membership Coordinator Quinn Gordon interviews Erin Wackerla, Volunteer Manager of the Austin chapter, and volunteer Paul Carlson about how climbing supports the organization's mission. Wackerla explains the founding philosophy: the organization was built on the belief that being active and connected to others is the opposite of addiction. The theory was that creating activities that are healthy, meaningful, and accessible would also create community for people in recovery, and it has proven true. The scale is significant. In just two years in Austin, the chapter has touched over 3,000 individuals, and nationally the organization has interacted with more than 300,000 people on their recovery journeys. Members support one another and act as a genuine family. Asked what community building looks like on the ground, Wackerla describes multiple events and activities that bring people together around shared, sober experiences, with climbing serving as one powerful vehicle for connection. The spotlight illustrates how climbing gyms and the broader climbing community can partner with mission-driven nonprofits to extend the sport's social benefits to populations that might not otherwise access them. The throughline is that climbing's real power here isn't athletic but relational: it gives people in recovery a healthy, engaging activity and, more importantly, a community and sense of belonging. The Phoenix's growth and reach demonstrate how the connective, community-building qualities that draw so many to climbing can serve a profound purpose beyond the gym.

Asset Caption

A nonprofit spotlight on The Phoenix, a national organization in 48 states that supports people affected by addiction through community and activities including indoor climbing. Founded on the idea that connection is the opposite of addiction, it has reached over 300,000 people, using climbing as a powerful vehicle for belonging.