B-93.3 FM announcers Chad Benson and Jo Lohr rappelling down the Melcor Centre on Aug. 28 2019 (Photo courtesy Nicole Benson)

By Justin Goulet

Climbing down for a cause: second annual Rope for Hope held in Lethbridge

Aug 29, 2019 | 9:19 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – One’s first thought when looking at the Melcor Centre in downtown Lethbridge probably isn’t, “Hey, I want to scale down that building,” but that’s exactly what many did Wednesday.

As part of the Make-A-Wish Foundation’s Rope for Hope event, over 20 people rappelled down the 11-storey building as part of the annual fundraiser.

“They money goes towards granting wishes for children with (a) critical illness in southern Alberta and the kids are between the ages of three and 17,” said Kim Anthony, the CEO of Make-A-Wish’s Southern Alberta chapter.

Wednesday’s event marked the second year in a row Rope for Hope has happened in Lethbridge. The event has been ongoing for over six years in different communities across Canada.

“Last year, we were (also) at Melcor Centre. It’s quite a process to choose a building as you can imagine. There’s a lot of technical qualifications that the building has to have, so we were fortunate that Melcor met all of (those) and they’ve been wonderful to work with,” Anthony said.

What's Happening in Lethbridge this week: October 28-November 3, 2024

Oct 28, 2024

What's Happening in Lethbridge this week: October 21-27, 2024

Oct 21, 2024

What's Happening in Lethbridge this weekend: October 11, 2024

Oct 11, 2024

GRANTING WISHES

Anthony said granting wishes for critically ill children makes a significant impact in their lives, noting that one of Wednesday’s participants is a teen who had a wish granted years ago.

Riley Zimmer was diagnosed with lymphoma three years ago. After spending time in the hospital, he learned that he had qualified for Make-A-Wish.

His wish? To meet and practice with the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks.

“(It was) an amazing experience, so I just feel like I owe everything to them (Make-A-Wish) because it was such a rough time but then, that experience made it all worth something,” Zimmer said.

This was Zimmer’s second year taking part in Rope for Hope. He rappelled down the Melcor during the inaugural Lethbridge event in 2018.

“This year, I didn’t raise as much as I wanted to but it’s still enough to give a person a wish, like, a plane ticket or something, you know. It’s just great because you feel good giving them money and then you get to climb down the side of a building which is fun and adventurous,” he said with a laugh.

Ty Dudas (left) and Riley Zimmer at the Melcor Centre (Lethbridge News Now)

Zimmer was joined by his close friend Ty Dudas. Wednesday was Dudas’ first time rappelling down the building. He said it was scary being that high up, but the chance to help a great cause was well worth it.

“Once you get comfortable with it, once you’re on the side of the building there’s no problem. It was unbelievable. It was nice to have that support of Riley being there, and he’s already done it once, so it was kind like, if he’s done it twice then I’ve got to be able to do it, too,” Dudas said.

He noted that it was difficult when Zimmer was first diagnosed, but he was elated when Make-A-Wish reached out.

“It was really awesome to hear when Make-A-Wish offered him this opportunity and to see that all his struggles…it made it all a little easier on your feelings that at least something good happened for him,” he said.

“Now that he’s doing better, it’s awesome to know that you’re helping kids and raising money so other kids get that good experience and can see a bright side to their day.”

Participants get set to descend the Melcor Centre as volunteers are set up outside the building’s entrance (Lethbridge News Now)

The average cost for a wish is about $10,000 and the goal for Rope for Hope this year was to raise $40,000. As of Wednesday afternoon, over $30,000 had been raised, according to Kim Anthony.

“The money stays in southern Alberta, which is nice to help kids in this area,” she remarked.

COMMUNITY INVOLVMENT

A large crowd gathered outside of the Melcor, cheering on the rappelers. Members of the media scaled down the building, including B-93.3 FM announcers Chad Benson and Jo Lohr.

“It was good, it was as nerve-wracking as it was last year,” Benson told Lethbridge News Now. He took part in last year’s event.

“At the end of the day, we just hopefully raised a lot of money to help a lot of kids in our community see some of their wishes come true.”

B-93.3 announcers Jo Lohr (left) and Chad Benson (Photo courtesy of Nicole Benson)

Benson added that knowing money raised was going to a good cause helped get him get over the edge of the building’s roof and make his way to the ground below.

Unlike Benson, this was Lohr’s first time participating in the event.

“I was a little nervous at first, but I was having fun and went down pretty fast – they said I was the fastest one down today (Wednesday) so it was a lot of fun, and to raise money for Make-A-Wish Southern Alberta, that money stays here, that money goes towards kids,” she said.

“There are kids here today from Make-A-Wish, so that’s really great that they’re here and they get to participate, some went down and some went here just to represent, so it’s really great to see what your money’s going towards.”

For more information on Make-A-Wish Southern Alberta, visit www.makeawishsa.ca.