On Saturday, Sept. 16, Project Purple went Over The Edge for pancreatic cancer research and patient financial aid. The Over the Edge fundraiser was held at 90 State House Square in Hartford. Participants received the once-in-a-lifetime experience of rappelling down a fourteen-story building in the Connecticut state capital. Project Purple is thankful to everyone who participated in this event and is excited to provide more unique experiences like this to the pancreatic cancer community.
“I love the aspect of giving people any opportunity to experience something they would have never done before and something to remember forever,” said Dino Verrelli, founder & CEO of Project Purple.
Anyone Can Make a Difference
Project Purple partnered with Over The Edge to bring fundraisers the once-in-a-lifetime experience of rappelling down a building in the CT state capital. The company has hosted over 1,000 urban rappelling events, with the goal of “providing unique and powerful experiences while bringing about positive change in the communities.”
“This is an amazing experience because almost anyone can do it, even people with a physical disability are able to participate to a certain degree,” said Verrelli.
The all-day event allowed participants to take on the challenge of urban rappelling, an activity that allows people to rappel safely down the side of a man-made structure. Before going over the edge, fundraisers went through a comprehensive safety presentation and training before suiting up in the safety harness. Two people were allowed to rappel at once, giving ample opportunity for people to take their time while enjoying the unique view.
“The cool thing about Over the Edge is that they can adjust the experience to the group,” said Sam DaCosta, marketing manager for Project Purple. “They can adjust what their process is to accommodate a variety of people. The only requirements are to weigh over 100 pounds and be over 16 years of age.”
Along with some new friends, several familiar faces from the Project Purple community participated in the event. Two representatives from Ion Bank came out to support Project Purple in honor of their co-worker, Kevin King, who passed away due to pancreatic cancer about a year ago. They kicked off the event by being the first to go over the edge, leading the way for other participants.
Once in a Lifetime
The uniqueness of this event allowed Project Purple to not just make an impact in the fight against pancreatic cancer, but to reach new audiences as well, building up an even stronger community.
“Having a variety of events like this invites a lot of different people with a lot of different interests,” said DaCosta. “It really empowers people who may not know Project Purple, or may not have gotten to participate in an event with Project Purple, and gives them an opportunity to make a difference in the fight against pancreatic cancer.”
Not only was this event a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but it also did not require fundraisers to do anything but show up to the event and fundraise. There was no months-long training cycle that often comes with running and endurance-based events.
“We need to raise so much awareness for pancreatic cancer that I think it is critical to be everywhere for everyone,” said Verrelli, “What I mean by that is running a marathon/ half marathon or even a 5k takes training and not everyone has that in their plans so being able to rappel down the side of a building requires zero training. Anyone can do it, so I think having events that people can do that don’t require any training beforehand is really important for our community.”
Thanks to Over the Edge, the Project Purple team was able to provide a safe, accessible experience to anyone brave enough for the challenge.
“It was really special,” DaCosta said. “And I know the photos and videos are going to be really neat, so some people will have some opportunities to spice up their Instagram feeds!”
If you are interested in getting involved with Project Purple, check out our events page for more unique opportunities to contribute to the fight against pancreatic cancer. Thank you to Over the Edge for an experience we at Project Purple will never forget!
