Community members will rappel of the roof of the Oxford Hotel!
On Saturday, September 7, those who visit the intersection of NW Lava Road and NW Minnesota Avenue between 11 am and 3 pm will see quite a sight! Community members will be rappelling off the roof the Oxford Hotel in downtown Bend as a result of having raised funds to for United Way of Central Oregon’s community work. At 7 stories and 70 feet, the Oxford Hotel is Central Oregon’s tallest building.
The event is called OVER THE EDGE and it’s the first event of its kind in our region. To celebrate, we will also be hosting a Ground Party – closing streets off to traffic and opening them up to pedestrians from 11 am – 3 pm on Saturday, September 7th. The party will host a beer garden, food carts, music by local DJs, and activities for kids and grown-ups in booths held by local nonprofit partners and sponsors. The event is free and open to the public. All are invited show up and join the festivities.
We are hosting OVER THE EDGE particularly because it is scary. For our community’s most vulnerable – those who wake up in the morning not knowing where they will sleep that night, if they will eat that day, or when they will next be assaulted or abused – every day is scary. By rappelling off of the roof of the Oxford, participants will face their own fears to raise funds for our fight for the health, education, financial stability, and resilience of every person in our Central Oregon community.
Not everyone is dealt the same hand in life – from income to health to education to trauma to resilience. Sixty four percent of adults faced at least 1 traumatic experience as a child. Ten percent confronted 5 or more. In Central Oregon, 40% of households struggle every day to make ends meet – without enough money for housing, food, child care, health care, transportation, and a cell phone. On a single night, nearly 900 people experience homelessness in Central Oregon – 12% more than last year.
We are focused on fixing these imbalances for today’s kids so that when they are tomorrow’s adults, they can thrive. Together with their 26 nonprofit partners, 100 corporate partners, and nearly 2,500 donors, our local United Way helps 27% of Central Oregonians.
We are a local fundraiser and a local funder. The money they raise here, stays here and serves this community. Every year, our we launch a community campaign to raise funds used to address the most pertinent, unmet needs of individuals and families in our Central Oregon community. The campaign includes not only corporate leaders, but also employees from businesses and nonprofits all over our region, as well as individual community members. Funds are also raised for other local, regional, and national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations based on donor wishes.
Two days before OVER THE EDGE, we are hosting our Campaign Kickoff Celebration, also at the Oxford Hotel. On Thursday, September 5th from 6 pm – 8 pm, community members are invited to a reception to learn more about the nonprofit’s work. To learn more or to come to the Kickoff, call 541-389-6507 or email kati@deschutesunitedway.org.
We are a convener. We bring he nonprofit brings together community leaders, local governments, other funders, nonprofits, and stakeholders to collaborate and coordinate our efforts in addressing our most complicated issues. We continue to address challenges facing our community right now. And we are also moving upstream to address the root cause of challenges that are immediate today, so that they don’t exist tomorrow.
