Community members brave heights to go Over the Edge for local nonprofits

With an uneasiness about heights, David Dimmick was a little hesitant about the rappel trip he’d signed up for, but after his 12-story trip down the Fraser Centre on Thursday, he was eager to see if there was another slot open to go again.

Dimmick was one of about 70 people who rappelled down the Fraser Centre in downtown State College. They were all there to support Interfaith Human Services and FaithCentre, which put on the Over the Edge event that began around 9 a.m. from the roof of the building.

A crowd below cheered, rang bells and shouted words of encouragement as the “Edgers” scaled down the building.

“Over the Edge does an amazing job with safety — I had three safety checks before going down,” said Dimmick, who is a co-founder of FaithCentre and sits on the board. “Each person made you feel like you were the only person they were checking all day.”

Jane Wettstone was one of the spectators in the crowd below as she waited for her husband, Jerry Wettstone, to make it down.

“I was very nervous about Jerry doing this — I like my feet on the ground,” she said.

Jerry Wettstone is on the IHS board.

“When our other board member Marie Cameron, who is 82, said she was going down, I knew I had to as well,” he said.

Bellefonte Mayor Tom Wilson stood among the crowd after he’d rappelled down and cheered on his friend Dave Snyder of 98.7 The Freq radio station.

The 72-year-old mayor was quick to jump on the opportunity to rappel.

“I had never done anything like this before,” Wilson said. “As I get older I am looking for new dangers.”

To be able to rappel during the one-day event, Edgers had to raise at least $1,000 and some, like Wilson, raised more. He was the second largest fundraiser with a total of $3,275, which he raised mostly with the help of his high school graduating class of 1964.

The two organizations were expected to net nearly $80,000, which will benefit families in need in Centre County.

This story was originally published October 11, 2018 at 4:18 PM.