Sixty-five individuals rappelled down The Tower, the highest structure in Tuscaloosa, as a part of the first annual Over the Edge fundraiser on April 6.

The local Youth For Christ (YFC) chapter partnered with Over the Edge, a national organization that assists nonprofits around the world in raising funds for their chosen cause:.

Mike Green, executive director of Tuscaloosa YFC, was one of the driving forces in organizing this event.

The vision for this event, Green said, was conceived several years ago. Finding a location for participants to rappel was the primary cause for delay. In a city like Tuscaloosa, tall buildings are the exception rather than the standard, so The Tower was the ideal location.

“We worked on getting it organized about three years ago, but we couldn’t nail down a building,” Green said. “We were fortunate to get The Tower where Trustmark Bank is located to host our event.”

After several months of communication with the owners of the building in Memphis, Tuscaloosa YFC secured permission for the site of the fundraiser.

Each participant was required to raise $1,000 to rappel, with the $100 fee counting toward their overall goal. The funds were then used to reach “un-churched high school and middle school students with the gospel of Jesus Christ,” according to the YFC website.

The 65 participants were able to raise a net total of more than $50,000 that will be used for YFC programs, including campus life, parent life and juvenile justice. All funds raised directly benefit youth within the community and are channelled into anything from scholarship funds to food for the programs.

“We raised a significant amount of money, but we also connected people in the community,”

Green said.

Green said approximately half of the participants were involved with YFC prior to the event.

Jody Seale, previously unaffiliated with the organization, participated with two of her children after hearing about the event through their church. She said many involved felt gratitude for the opportunity to use the building to host an event that will provide resources for the community.

Seale said her family was excited to spend the day together and enjoyed an activity like rappelling while also raising money for resources to help local youth.

“My daughter was actually the youngest to participate,” Seale said. “She’s 14. Our check-in time was around 10:30 a.m., but we hung around after we had all rappelled so she could get a photo with the oldest participant who was 74.”