A year of planning, 80 volunteers, and 110 brave rappelers came together to make the Over the Edge 4 Granted fundraiser a success. Granted’s event on April 30 was the first of its kind in Evansville, and it exceeded the nonprofit’s wildest expectations. Held in Downtown Evansville, fearless fundraisers rappelled down the side of the CenterPoint Energy building, all in the spirit of raising money to grant wishes for local children with terminal or life-threatening conditions.
Evansville Living’s own Senior Account Executive Jennifer Rhoades was one of 10 VIP rappelers who scaled the building on the media day April 29. She said she was less nervous than she thought she would be, but the scariest part was stepping up to the ledge at the top of the building. During the descent, Rhoades tried to take in the moment and appreciate the view of her surroundings.
“Some people might think it was crazy, but it didn’t feel that way to me,” she says. “It was a great experience, and hopefully the unique event brought a lot of visibility for Granted.”
With games, food trucks, and rappelers in costume, the event was especially meaningful for the Granted children who were able to attend. Five Granted children were able to rappel down the CenterPoint building, and three were given the opportunity to rappel virtually.
Granted surpassed its goal of $150,000 by a significant amount: Current counts estimate a total of $270,000 raised, and money is still coming in. Granted event chair Jeff Purdue says he was thrilled with the inaugural event.
“I’ve never seen any place that’s like the Evansville community in terms of their generosity and servant leadership mindset,” he says. “All you have to do is ask, and everybody steps forward. It’s unbelievable and truly a testament to our community.”
Purdue is optimistic that Over the Edge 4 Granted will become an annual fundraiser. He has ambitions of more food trucks, games, rappelers, and even more community involvement next year.
“We’re humbled, and we are just overwhelmed with the support, and we hope that we get to do it better and bigger next year,” he says.