Climbing To Higher Ground

Former NFL player Mark Pattison, left, met with friends, family and members of the Higher Ground team in late December at River Run to celebrate a recent fundraising success. Pattison and his daughter, Emilia, third from right, helped raise over $30,000 for Higher Ground programs. To do it, Emilia, who suffers from epilepsy, told her story and shared experiences, a huge inspirational force behind the fundraising effort. A veteran wide receiver for the Raiders, Rams and Saints during a four-year NFL career, Mark Pattison has taken to climbing mountains in his second act, and is one peak, Everest, short of finishing “The Seven Summits,” scaling the tallest mountains on each continent. “Emilia’s Everest” campaign is aimed at increasing awareness for individuals living with Epilepsy and other disabilities and her dad is set to attempt Lhotse Peak in spring 2021. From left, Mark Pattison, Darcy Hanson, Mark’s mother Mimi Pattison, Higher Ground Executive Director Kate Dobbie, Emilia Pattison, Higher Ground’s Erin Rheinschild and Lili Hansen.