Event company helps organizations raise funds

Text by Heath and Kelly Hughes 
Photo Courtesy of Daryl Byrne

Imagine standing at the top of a building 485 feet tall. To help raise money for Connecticut Special Olympics, you agreed to rappel down the building. It sounded like a good idea at the time, but now you’re here facing your moment of truth. There’s a rush of adrenaline, mingled with fear of the unknown. Even though you’re wearing a helmet and strapped into a harness and other safety gear, you still have to trust—trust the equipment, trust the professional assisting you and trust yourself. Then you lean back over the edge of the building and lower yourself over the lip. The experience is exhilarating. That’s exactly what Over the Edge, a global rappelling event company, counts on when hosting one of their signature fundraising events. 

Although 485 feet is not typical for an Over the Edge event, it is the tallest building that Daryl Byrne, Norfolk Fire Department trustee and volunteer, has worked from as an Over the Edge technician. Byrne started volunteering with the company in 2009 while still employed by the University of Connecticut Fire Department. When he retired in 2017,  he was hired by Over the Edge.  

Byrne’s job as a technician is on the operations side. At rappelling events, he is involved in the staging, rigging, training and safety. According to Byrne, “you rig it, you ride it.” This ensures the safety of all the ropes used during the events. In addition, Byrne is the one who teaches the participants how to rappel and gives them the encouragement they need to take that first step down the building. “Everyone lands safely on the ground 100 percent of the time,” says Byrne. 

Byrne also drives one of the event company’s equipment vans, sometimes across the country, transporting the necessary gear to successfully host a rappelling event. In the next six months, Over the Edge will be offering events in Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. Byrne says of his work, “I’m on the ropes every day. You don’t realize the effect rappelling can have on people. It’s life changing.” 

Byrne shares the story of a woman named Sharon who became so inspired after her Over the Edge event that she lost thirty pounds, started running and got a tattoo to remind herself to always face her fear. Another story centers on a thirteen year-old-girl and recent amputee who participated in a rappelling event. Byrne says the crew can even assist those in wheelchairs who want to participate. 

Over the Edge began in Nova Scotia, Canada, in 2008, and has now staged events on three continents. This year, they crossed the $100,000,000 mark in fundraising. The events are so much fun for the participants, that Over the Edge has a return on investment for participating organizations of over 200 percent. 

According to Byrne, an average event costs a nonprofit organization approximately $30,000. This fee includes everything from a business development plan and social media advertising to t-shirts, signage and fundraising pages. The average amount fundraised for each event is over $100,000.  

“These events restore my faith in humanity,” says Byrne. “Small community events with several nonprofits coming together to fundraise, those are the grassroots kind of events that really touch your heart. It’s neat to see and hear everyone’s stories.” 

The 485-foot building that Byrne worked was the Financial Plaza in Jersey City, New Jersey. But Byrne says a 20-story building (200 feet tall) is optimal for a rappelling event. That size building can get 96 people participating in eight hours. When asked if there are any buildings in Norfolk that could offer an Over the Edge event, Byrne enthusiastically says yes. “Any building with a flat roof will do. We could rappel off Botelle Elementary if we wanted.”