Mayor Jane Castor headlines adventure seekers set to rappel 17 stories in support of Big Brothers Big Sisters
August 18, 2020 – Tampa Mayor Jane Castor will join current Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan and more than 50 other brave souls who will rappel 17 stories down the side of the Hilton Downtown Tampa on Saturday in support of the Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring programs.
The annual event, called “Over The Edge,” will be held from 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 22, with participants (called Edgers) rappelling the north face of the Hilton (211 N. Tampa Street). To be eligible, each Edger must raise a minimum of $1,500 – the cost of supporting one match between an adult volunteer (called a Big) and a child facing adversity (called a Little) for a year in the Big Brothers Big Sister mentoring program.
Mayor Castor, who went Over The Edge as part of the annual non-profit fundraiser last year, is scheduled to descend at 9 a.m. She is expected to be joined on the parallel rope by Lightning mascot ThunderBug.
A record four Little Brothers and Little Sisters will be participating in this year’s event as well.
“We are very proud of and grateful for all our Edgers in this unique event,” said Stephen Koch, President and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay. “The funds they raise will allow us to defend the potential of approximately 90 children in our community, who can benefit in so many positive ways from having a Big Brother or Big Sister in their young lives. We hope they will also inspire others to step forward to become one of our great Big Brother or Big Sister volunteers”
The event has a number of local sponsors, including Paradise Ventures, Flowbird, Skanska and Raymond James.
Participants and spectators will be expected to adhere to current City of Tampa and CDC guidelines as it relates to the pandemic, including social distancing and the wearing of protective masks.
There is still time to participate in this year’s Over The Edge event. Go to https://give.bbbstampabay.org/ge/ote2020 for more details and registration.
Last year, Over The Edge raised $85,000 for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay. The goal this year is to raise $95,000.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay provides one-on-one, professionally supported mentoring for children facing adversity throughout the Tampa Bay area. Last year more than 2,800 children were paired with an adult volunteer who serve as positive role models, with impressive results: Of the children who were matched for a year or more in 20198, 99% percent were promoted to the next grade level, and 98% had no involvement with the juvenile justice system.
There are currently more than 700 children on the agency’s waiting list, hoping to be matched with a volunteer mentor. For details about attending a virtual orientation, visit bbbstampabay.org/be-a-big.
About Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay is part of the nation’s largest donor and volunteer-supported mentoring network, and holds itself accountable for children in its program to achieve measurable outcomes, such as educational success, avoidance of risky behaviors, higher aspirations, greater confidence and better relationships. Big Brothers Big Sisters provides children facing adversity – often of a single or low-income household or families where a parent is incarcerated or serving in the military – with strong and enduring, professionally-supported one-to-one mentoring relationships that defend the potential that exists in every child. More than 2,800 children were served in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Polk, Citrus, Hernando, Alachua and Sumter counties. In 2019 over 70% of the youth we served were African-American, Hispanic or Multi-Racial. For more information please visit www.bbbstampabay.org.