Memphis Rox boasts itself as the largest nonprofit rock climbing gym in the world — but it’s not just about rock climbing. It’s about community, and rock climbing just happens to be a part of it.
Located in South Memphis and founded in 2018, the gym operates on a pay-what-you-can model and houses space for fitness classes outside of climbing, like yoga, karate, and swing dance. “Then there’s all of the outreach and service programs that we do,” says Jon Hawk, director of operations. “We have a very sizable unhoused population that comes out in the mornings, and we offer them coffee. And we have a free lunch program. We provide the meals every weekday. We give them clothes whenever we see that they need it, but we also have a community closet, like a sundry store.”
Rox also is home to Juice Almighty, which offers those who cannot afford a meal to “pay” by volunteering at the gym, assisting with neighborhood cleanups, or serving at another nonprofit. The gym also partners with Sister Supply to offer free menstrual products to those who need them, and it offers an after-school program for 12- to 17-year-olds.
Because of all these efforts, the nonprofit gym has garnered international attention, with news pieces and films centered around its story. “It just made people all over the world excited,” Hawk says.
Now as the year comes to a close, Rox is preparing for its largest fundraising event of the year — its annual gala on December 11th and online auction — and it’s asking for Memphis’ support.
“The gala is going to be food, drinks, a little bit of music, telling a few stories, just talking about we’ve been up to this year, trying to inspire people,” Hawk says. The online auction, meanwhile, has lots of items and experiences that would appeal to Memphians in particular, like Memphis Grizzlies floor seats with a locker room tour, a recording session with Matt Ross-Spang, suite tickets to Ballet Memphis’ The Nutcracker, and much more. The auction (tinyurl.com/4vc8kz88) closes on December 11th at 7:30 p.m.
If you can’t support through the gala or the auction, Hawk says, “We always accept monthly donations, which is always huge, because that’s something we can count on every month, and then we have an end-of-the-year fundraiser campaign going on right now.”
For more information about Memphis Rox, visit memphisrox.org.
Memphis Rox Gala, Crosstown Concourse, 1350 Concourse, Wednesday, December 11, 6-9 p.m., $500/seat.