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Climb Wyoming is turning 40. The statewide organization provides free job training and mental health support for low-income single moms, all with the goal of breaking cycles of intergenerational poverty.

Climb was founded in 1986 by psychologist Dr. Ray Fleming Dinneen and her mother. The 12-week program uses a holistic, trauma-informed approach as well as a cohort model to combat loneliness and help build social capital. Participants receive individual and group counseling, as well as training for positions like nursing assistants or truck drivers.

The nonprofit now has locations in Rock Springs, Laramie, Cheyenne, Jackson, Gillette and Casper, and has supported over 12,000 moms and 25,000 kids over the last four decades.

Climb CEO Katie Hogarty in 2024 

“ If you put that group of people in one room, we become Wyoming’s third-largest community,” said CEO Katie Hogarty. “When you think about the work that Climb has done to really impact poverty across the state, it is significant.”

After graduation, the organization follows up with participants every three months for two years to get a gauge on its impact on things like wages, family stability and benefit reduction. As part of its 40th year, Climb has also been checking back in with folks who went through the training over a decade ago.

“ We have a responsibility to go back and to learn from moms that have graduated the program over 10 years ago,” said Hogarty. “We were really excited to connect with moms and hear their experiences, and learn from that: What’s worked in their lives, where do we have areas to grow the program?”

While that longitudinal study isn’t a formalized research project, the organization plans to share more of its findings in the year ahead.

Khara LeDoux went through Climb back in 2012 in Casper when her two sons were very young, and moved back to town specifically for the training. She specialized in welding, but emphasized that came away with a lot more than the hands-on skills.

“ They even did financial literacy. It wasn’t just about welding,” said LeDoux. “It was about the whole person and taking care of every aspect, like parenting classes.”

After graduation, LeDoux was placed at a new job at a local machine shop, where she spent the next 12 years helping to make race car parts.

“The confidence that I had to do things on my own grew exponentially,” she said. “I never thought that I would even be able to own a home, much less get one on my own.”

These days, LeDoux makes twice what she made when she first graduated from the program back in 2012. She recently switched into sales for a Wyoming-based internet provider, to have more flexibility to support her teenage boys in their after-school sports, and got connected to the position through the Climb network.

“ [Climb] gave me the opportunity to better my life and my kids’ lives,” she said. “Since then, I’ve grown as a person and I’m able to give back to the community. I love that I am in a position where I can give back.”

LeDoux is now on the board of the Science Zone, Casper’s science museum, and also volunteers at Meals-on-Wheels every week.

“ I’m trying to raise my kids to be the same way. Teenage boys are a little harder to get to volunteer than they were when they were eight, but they know it’s a part of life,” she said, laughing.

LeDoux makes a point to go to the monthly lunches that the nonprofit hosts for graduates. For her, a big long-term benefit of the program has been the camaraderie and connections with other Climb moms.

“If I find out a business hires Climb moms, I love that so much,” she said. “I just wanted to point out how cool it is to know other moms who graduated 10 years after me, but we both share the same experience, even if it wasn’t shared together.”

CEO Hogarty said that a big strength of Climb is its hyperlocal approach and its efforts to provide trainings that are in demand in each particular area. Most recently, that’s looked like thinking about how artificial intelligence is affecting workplaces and planning ahead for jobs catered towards data centers.

“  We’re really connected with employers and thinking about what’s happening right now,” she said. “How is that not just a job for right now, but how is that a ladder into a longer term career?”

Hogarty emphasized that Climb provides moms with a springboard to change the direction of their lives, but that it’s the individuals who make the leap.

“ Climb opens the door for them to find their footing and to really leverage their own careers and their own strengths, and we’re really proud to be part of creating opportunities,” she said. “It’s really talented moms that take the bull by the horns and walk through, walk through that door and make their careers their own.”

Climb will host a 40th anniversary gathering on Sept. 17 at the Marian H. Rochelle Gateway Center in Laramie to celebrate the women, families, communities and employers who’ve been part of the organization’s journey.

The post This Mother’s Day, Climb Wyoming Celebrates 40 Years of Uplifting Single Moms appeared first on Climb Wyoming.

Wyoming Tribune Eagle
April 30, 2026

This Mother’s Day, Climb Wyoming celebrates 40 years of working alongside moms to strengthen families, communities, and Wyoming’s workforce.

What started as a bold and new approach to help single moms in Cheyenne four decades ago has now grown into a nationally recognized program with six locations across the state, having impacted 12,000 moms and 25,000 children, a combined population that exceeds Wyoming’s third-largest city.

“Climb hasn’t just addressed poverty in Wyoming, it has completely redefined what’s possible for families that experience the highest rates of poverty in our state—single moms and their children,” says Katie Hogarty, Climb’s CEO. “Mother’s Day is the perfect opportunity to recognize that when mothers succeed, families and communities thrive, too.”

By focusing on the intersection of mental health and employment, Climb has become a driving force in transforming communities, helping moms build lasting success and meaningful careers in healthcare, commercial driving, construction, technology, banking, and more. In total, Climb graduates have contributed over 60 million hours of work to Wyoming’s economy, partnering with 850 employers statewide.

As part of Climb’s 40^th anniversary, the nonprofit is undertaking a longitudinal study that tracks decades of impact: from the immediate life-changing wage increases Climb graduates experience to sustained growth that transforms every part of their families’ lives, including beneficial impacts on housing and food security, education, and access to healthcare. At the start of Climb’s program, less than half of participants are employed, and those who are working make an average of $1,588 per month. The study reports that ten years out, graduates are earning an average of $4,915 per month, along with a significant increase in home ownership.

Diane is one of the many Climb graduates who say the program continues to pay off years after Climb. She completed Climb’s Commercial Driving training 20 years ago and continues to work as a truck driver. “My self-worth was so low before Climb,” she recalls. “Now it’s through the roof because I know I’m good at what I do. Without Climb, I wouldn’t have known the first steps to take. Climb took a chance on me when no one else would, and I’m forever grateful for that.”

Graduates like Diane also demonstrate the generational impact of gaining meaningful employment and financial stability. Two of Diane’s sons now operate trucks and have worked alongside their mom in high-paying construction careers.

“Climb moms are shaping the next generation in profound ways,” says Hogarty. “We’re honored to have been part of their lives and celebrate how their courage, commitment, and resilience have positively impacted families, neighborhoods, communities, and the entire state of Wyoming.”

Climb’s effectiveness and innovative methods to help families move out of poverty have been recognized nationally, with Ascend at the Aspen Institute naming Climb one of the top 15 organizations in the U.S. positively influencing the next generation with greater opportunities for economic prosperity and family well-being.

“Climb’s 40th anniversary is more than a milestone,” says Hogarty. “It’s a testament to the resilience of the women who’ve come through the program, the commitment of our supporters and community partners, and the power of investing in people.”

Climb will host a 40^th Anniversary gathering on September 17, 2026, at the Marian H. Rochelle Gateway Center in Laramie to honor the women, families, communities, and employers at the heart of Climb—and look ahead to what’s possible for generations to come. To learn more, visit ClimbWyoming.org/40^th.

The post Climb Wyoming Marks 40 Years Working with Moms to Strengthen Wyoming Families appeared first on Climb Wyoming.

Photo: Climb graduate Ashley Myers at work in a Cheyenne electrophysiology lab, where she’s a highly specialized nurse.

Cowboy State Daily | April 26, 2026

Wyoming nurse Ashley Myers escaped hardship into a high-paying nursing career. Her success story highlights rapid wage growth in the health care sector. “AI is a great tool, but it will never replace us. We have to have people to do this work,” she says.

CHEYENNE — For years, Ashley Myers juggled low-wage jobs and single motherhood, barely making ends meet.

Today, she’s a highly specialized nurse working in a Cheyenne electrophysiology lab on a path to prosperity she couldn’t even have imagined when she started training to become a certified nursing assistant.

“The opportunities are endless with nursing,” she told Cowboy State Daily. “And that’s a great thing. I think that’s what’s appealing to a lot of people going into nursing.

“You could work in a school setting you could work in a rehab setting. And you can work in a lot of specialties.”

The electrophysiology (EP) lab where Myers works is just one of several high-dollar specialties in nursing. It’s where the electrical systems of the heart are monitored in real-time, helping doctors diagnose and treat heart rhythm disorders.

“EP is highly specialized and AI is never going to take that away,” Myers added. “There’s just no way. It’s not going to happen. So that’s what’s appealing with nursing and even the health care field. You’re just going to have so many opportunities.”

Myers is part of a growing wave of Americans, many of them women, who have found a surefire ticket into high-paying jobs in a sector that has lots of opportunities to scale and grow in different directions.

Salaries, meanwhile, have grown by leaps and bounds, Myers said. She is seeing starting salaries that are now $20 per hour higher than when she started.

Median wages for registered nurses are around $94,000 in the United States, according to the U.S. Labor Department. That compares to $49,500 for all occupations.

The post ‘AI Will Never Replace Us’: Wyoming Nurse Rides Booming Career Wave appeared first on Climb Wyoming.

The groundbreaking multimedia project WOMEN IN WYOMING: PORTRAITS & INTERVIEWS OF WOMEN WHO SHAPE THE WEST features Climb Wyoming for its Chapter III: Power, capturing the words and images of several graduates and staff.

The museum exhibition and accompanying podcast has now been transformed into a coffee-table book. Women Shaping the West, a portrait collection by photographer, author, and fifth-generation Wyomingite Lindsay Linton Buk, illuminates the women defining the modern West through leadership, creativity, stewardship, and resilience.

“These stories challenge outdated stereotypes and offer a fuller picture of the West as a place shaped not just by rugged individualism—but by relationship, responsibility, and vision,” says Linton Buk. “Women Shaping the West speaks to readers interested in women’s history, cultural identity, photography, and the deeper stories behind America’s most iconic landscapes. It is also a timely counterpoint to the West’s current popularity as a travel destination, offering meaning and history alongside beauty.”

• Order the book
• Listen to the podcast featuring Climb Wyoming

See behind the scenes as the Climb Wyoming crew tapped into their inner power in front of the camera.

The post New Book Features Climb Wyoming and Women Who Shape the West appeared first on Climb Wyoming.

“I was raised by a single mom,” says Ian Alvstad, who works for 71 Construction, a Casper-based company that hires Climb graduates. “Things were tough when I was growing up, and I know first-hand that single moms are such hard workers; all they need is a chance to realize their dreams and potential.”

71 Construction handles underground utilities, industrial construction, concrete paving, hazardous waste removal, and more. The business has two Climb graduates on their crew: Hannah and Ashley fill important jobs in an industry that faces serious labor shortages. Both women haul materials to job sites, including a major project to replace five bridges on Interstate 25 that goes through Casper.

“Driving trucks turns out to be something I enjoy immensely,” says Hannah, who especially likes asphalt paving. “I don’t drag my feet. I love going to work.”

“As older workers in this industry retire, we’re not seeing a younger workforce step in to fill that void,” says Ian, who appreciates that Climb’s intensive training pairs moms with experts who often have decades of experience to pass along.

“Artificial Intelligence can’t do these jobs, that’s for sure,” says Ian. “Ashley and Hannah are real go-getters. The training and tools Climb has provided them with, as well as the ongoing support, are a huge benefit to us as an employer. They are literally building a stronger community.”

Ashley behind the wheel at 71 Construction, where she hauls materials for major projects like the replacement of bridges on Interstate 25.

“As older workers in this industry retire, we’re not seeing a younger workforce step in to fill that void.”

723,000 new workers are needed each year to meet the construction industry’s demands.

51% of construction firms report experiencing project delays due to a labor shortage.

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Climb has trained more than 500 women in non-traditional careers, including commercial driving, plumbing and pipefitting, construction trades, and HVAC.

The post Working with Wyoming Employers appeared first on Climb Wyoming.

Anna was unemployed when she started Climb all those years ago, yet even through a fog of self-doubt, she sensed that she had potential. “I had always enjoyed math and been good at it, but it had been so long since I’d used any of those skills,” Anna recalls.

During training, Anna excelled at QuickBooks and began to see doors opening in her future. Her job placement was with Northern Title, where she oversaw land titles. She has since moved on to become a Mortgage Loan Originator and Assistant Vice President at First Bank of Wyoming.

Recently, Anna returned to Climb to serve as a mock interviewer and help moms practice for their upcoming job interviews. “It was so cool to think, ‘Wow, I was here,’” says Anna. “I remember being so terrified, and it made me realize how far I’ve come.”

At the bank, Anna also serves as a mentor to other women. “I try to help the women I work with speak up. I say, ‘If you have a concern, bring it forward! And it’s even better if you can bring a solution with it.’ As women, we must stand up for ourselves and remember how much we bring to the workplace.”

“I’m very happy with who I am today,” Anna says. “I know what I want out of life and am not afraid to ask for it.”

“I try to help the women I work with speak up. I say, ‘If you have a concern, bring it forward! And it’s even better if you can bring a solution with it.’”

The post Working to Rise Up: Anna’s Story appeared first on Climb Wyoming.

Diane knows all about hard work: As a truck driver for Lewis & Lewis, Inc., she often puts in 12- to 15-hour days. On a recent job in downtown Rock Springs, Diane worked 40 hours in three days to get a project finished on time.

Since earning her Commercial Driver’s License with Climb in 2009, Diane has driven all kinds of equipment, often hauling “doubles” that weigh up to 117,000 pounds fully loaded.

“You do your job, you pay attention, and you don’t cut corners,” says Diane of her perseverance. “I’ve driven any truck you can think of just so I could learn and get better.”

Diane was still getting on her feet when she came to Climb. She was on probation and recovering from a drug addiction.

“My self-worth was so low before Climb,” says Diane. “Now it’s through the roof because I know I’m good
at what I do.”

Diane is really proud that her youngest son has never known her as anything but a truck driver with a high-paying career. She owns a four-bedroom house. Two of her sons now operate trucks and have worked alongside their mom on construction projects.

“Without Climb, I wouldn’t have known the first steps to take,” says Diane. “Climb took a chance on me when no one else would, and I’m forever grateful for that.”

“Without Climb, I wouldn’t have known the first steps to take.Climb took a chance on me when no one else would, and I’m forever grateful for that.”

Homeownership for Climb graduates 10 years post-program quadruples, positively impacting families by building financial equity, providing stability, and fostering a stronger sense of community

The post Working for the Long Haul: Diane’s Story appeared first on Climb Wyoming.

Living as a single parent can be isolating, and peer support is often out of reach for families in poverty. For Heather, it was eye-opening to walk into a room full of other single moms on her first day of Climb’s Intro to Skilled Trades training in Cheyenne last year.

Climb designed this first-of-its-kind training to set women up for in-demand, high-paying careers in fields like Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC), electrical, dispatch, and more. During training, participants learned to employ advanced tools used in robotics, manufacturing, automotive, aerospace, and heating and cooling systems.

“Being in an all-women learning environment helped build my confidence, especially going into a non-traditional field of work,” Heather says. “It was empowering for me to be in a room with my group all day. You learn a lot of important lessons about life.” Climb’s group structure worked well for Heather: “Climb’s staff and my group had a lot to offer that built me up.”

Today, Heather is a Fabrication Insulator at Advanced Comfort Solutions, a family-owned business in Cheyenne. She builds parts for HVAC systems like ventilation ducts, and works alongside Tina, one of her Climb classmates. Both women are working toward their journeyman’s license in HVAC trades.

“Climb’s staff and my group
had a lot to offer that built me up.”

“I want to show my children that just because you get in a rut, it doesn’t mean you can’t move forward,” Heather says. “Just because something’s hard doesn’t mean it will always be hard.”

The post Working Together: Heather’s Story appeared first on Climb Wyoming.

Ronn Jeffrey has facilitated Climb parenting groups for almost two decades, working alongside Climb moms to foster lasting success in their children’s lives. Jeffrey, a licensed marriage and family therapist, is also a Juvenile Court Judge for Cheyenne’s Municipal Court. He has directed several youth programs and serves as a clinical supervisor for Colorado State University’s Center for Family and Couples Therapy graduate program.

Climb is a job training program, so why are there parenting classes?

Big changes happen in a mom’s life when she comes to Climb and gets a new job, and when one part of your life changes, it alters every other part of your life. It’s a cause-and-effect relationship that you see happen in a family when something shifts—in this case, moving from poverty into stable employment. So, there’s no point where parenting and work are separate.

How do you help moms grow their parenting skills?

I see Climb moms as the parenting experts in the room. They’ve survived a lot of hardship and are resilient and capable. They never planned on being at Climb—they expected life to go a different direction, and that might make them feel like they’re not parenting well. It’s hard to take a step forward if you think you can’t walk, so part of our journey together is helping them believe in their innate ability to be a good parent. We learn a lot from each other!

What is the most effective way to end generational poverty?

Generational poverty happens when there’s nothing that interrupts the cycle. You have to do something to change the narrative, and that’s what Climb does. Imagine diving off a diving board and not having a place to land. Climb gives moms a foundation underneath them. You can take a chance when you have someone to catch you. When a mom gets through Climb, she changes what’s going to happen next…for herself, and also for her family.

The post Q&A with Ronn Jeffrey: Climb Wyoming Parenting Facilitator appeared first on Climb Wyoming.

Raising teenagers can be stressful and hard. Shanna started Climb’s Commercial Driving (CDL) training when her daughter, Morgan, was a senior in high school. Her older son had already graduated, and she wanted both her young-adult children to find fulfillment and success after leaving home.

Before Climb, Shanna struggled for years with anxiety that kept her from maintaining stable employment while raising a family on her own.

Climb’s mental health provider helped Shanna experiment with new ways to overcome this barrier. “It sounds crazy,” Shanna says, “but we figured out that if I put a little bit of dirt in my pocket to touch when I froze up taking tests or practicing for job interviews, it would settle my nerves.”

“All I want is for my mom to be happy. Seeing what she’s done for herself shows me that when life knocks you down, you get up and keep going.”

– Morgan

Morgan says she noticed changes in her mom right away when she started Climb. “I could tell it made her more positive. She just started beaming. Climb gave her hope. You could tell that she felt happier and more supported.”

After Climb, Shanna decided to pursue a career with the City of Rock Springs, where she now works for the Housing Authority and has benefits like health insurance, paid sick leave, and a retirement plan for the first time in her life.

“She loves her job,” says Morgan. “I’ve worried about my mom a lot, and it’s good to see her on her feet.”

Likewise, Shanna is very proud of Morgan, who is now 19 and happily living on her own and working toward becoming an Ultrasound Technician through Laramie County Community College’s sonography program. Morgan’s brother is also thriving in a career in the oil and gas industry.

“All I want is for my mom to be happy,” Morgan says. “She didn’t always have a job growing up, or feel very hopeful about her life. Seeing what she’s done for herself shows me that when life knocks you down, you get up and keep going. She won’t let anything knock her down now.”

The post A Mother & Daughter Motivate Each Other with Their Hope and Fortitude appeared first on Climb Wyoming.