Dan Orlovsky Reacts to Cardinals’ Heartfelt Decision

What the Cardinals are Building at State Farm Stadium

Cardinals Climb will feature four distinct "trails" of increasing difficulty: accessible, family, moderate and advanced, mapped through the stadium’s concourses and stairwells. Each route runs separately until converging at midfield, and the day concludes with an outdoor concert to celebrate fundraising milestones.

Participation options include forming teams as "Climb Leaders," joining a friend or company team, fundraising remotely if you can’t attend or donating without hiking. The Cardinals will also promote the initiative during home games, beginning with Sunday's home opener against the Carolina Panthers and will direct this season’s 50-50 raffles to the special needs community.

Proceeds will benefit Barrow Neurological Foundation, Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center (SARRC), Special Olympics Arizona and Treasure House.

Each lead partner is slated for a three-year funding commitment from the Arizona Cardinals Foundation, with 10% of all money raised reserved for grants to smaller Arizona organizations working in the special-needs space.

The team describes Cardinals Climb as its marquee, peer-to-peer fundraising effort supporting the IDD community, with Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill saying the initiative is deeply personal to people across the organization and one that "could really make a difference in terms of raising money."

Tight end Trey McBride cited longstanding volunteer work in Special Olympics and similar programs as a reason he wanted to be involved from the outset.

"Growing up, I volunteered at special needs stuff, helped with Special Olympics and a lot of other things there in Colorado," McBride said. "So this is something that's near and dear. ... I think this will be a huge success here in Arizona."