Des Moines College Professor Coaches 100 Teachers, Students to New Heights
4/3/2017DES MOINES , IOWA (April 3, 2017) A 69-year-old college professor at Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) in Ankeny is leading a local team toward a healthy lifestyle in the American Lung Association in Iowa’s 2017 Fight For Air Climb, Sunday April 9. A group of 100 climbers make up Buzz Hoffman’s team, and they’ve been preparing to take the challenge to new heights.
Hoffman works at the school as a professor in the Criminal Justice Program, but teaches more than criminology to his students. At nearly 70 years old, this marks Hoffman’s 7th year coaching a team and raising thousands of dollars at each climb while annually growing the team’s size. This year’s team goal is $10,000. The stair climb has raised more than $1.5 million over its first 11 years.
“Our team encourages living healthy and being physically active, and I’m inspired by how many people have joined the movement. I’m also continuously surprised at how many people who join our team are affected by lung disease directly or through a family member, which give us more motivation to participate in this event,” said Hoffman.
Hoffman coaches the group through weekly team emails and training, and with his motto of “Live and Lead with Integrity.” Team DMACC extends beyond students and staff at the college and is made up of junior high to college-aged students and their families. Hoffman believes in taking leadership further than being a professor in the classroom but also leading a team to climb for those who are unable to.
The Fight For Air Climb is Iowa’s only stair climb. Eighty-six floors spread across 4 buildings offer climbers a timed challenge facing 1,796 stairs. Almost 90 cents of every dollar raised goes directly to education, research and advocacy.
About the American Lung Association
The American Lung Association is the leading organization working to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease, through research, education and advocacy. The work of the American Lung Association is focused on four strategic imperatives: to defeat lung cancer; to improve the air we breathe; to reduce the burden of lung disease on individuals and their families; and to eliminate tobacco use and tobacco-related diseases. For more information about the American Lung Association, a holder of the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Guide Seal, or to support the work it does, call 1-800-LUNGUSA (1-800-586-4872) or visit: Lung.org.
