EDITOR’S NOTE: The Riverbend Dare to Care Challenge has been cancelled after a reported suicide in the immediate vicinity of the Smile Building last week. Riverbend CEO Peter Evers issued the following statement:
On June 21st Riverbend scheduled a fundraising event called Dare to Care: The Riverbend Challenge. Many have signed up to rappel down the side of the SMILE! building on Concord’s Main Street, and many have generously supported the fundraising efforts of one of these individuals.
Last week the Concord community experienced a tragic event, the suicide of a young woman who took her own life at the building opposite the SMILE! building. There were a number of witnesses and it was a traumatic experience for all involved.
At Riverbend, we believe that holding Dare to Care so close to the tragedy in time and place may cause great pain to those who are already suffering and would in fact be disrespectful to people who are living through this loss. Cancelling this event was a difficult decision, but is the right thing to do.
I want to thank and recognize all the work that people have done over the past few months to organize this event. I hope that everyone understands that this is a very difficult situation for all of us.
Sincerely,
Peter Evers LICSW
CEO
Riverbend
For the number of times we’ve walked into, by or out of the Smile Building, we’ve never wondered what it would be like to navigate a rope from the top of it to the bottom.
But we do now, thanks to Riverbend Community Mental Health’s Dare to Care challenge. And so will you.
Riverbend is on a quest to raise $120,000 in its latest fundraising campaign and using the opportunity to rappel down the Smile Building as a way to do it.
The five-story, 70-foot-tall 49 S. Main St. location is home to the League of N.H. Craftsmen, the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce, Concord Hospital’s Center for Health Promotion and Intown Concord. And your chance to safely make your way down a rope from 70 feet up will be occurring June 21.
“That’s the Thursday of Market Days,” said Karen Jantzen, director of community affairs at Riverbend.
Riverbend has partnered with Over the Edge, an adventure experience company that has helped raise quite a bit of money for nonprofits through similar events. The adventure part fits well with the kind of therapy Riverbend offers.
“It’s really in line with what we do,” Jantzen said. “And this helps raise some awareness about who we are and what we do.”
But to be able to do this, possibly once-in-a-lifetime thrill, you must put your fundraising boots on and collect some money. Each person who signs up – there are 70 total spots to rappel – must raise a minimum of $1,000. And don’t worry, no one at Riverbend will be upset if you happen to raise more.
Now we know that’s a large amount of money to raise and a big undertaking, which is why we’re letting you know about it more than two months in advance – just in case you happen to be someone who has always been interested in rappelling down the Smile Building. If you know three other people who also want to do it, you can put a team of four together with a fundraising goal of $3,000.
“People so far have found that raising the money has been really easy,” Jantzen
There’s a registration fee of $50 due if you sign up by the end of April. It increases to $85 on May 1. But that money goes toward your fundraising goal.
On the day of the event, participants will be assigned a time slot, with the day-long event beginning between 8 and 9 a.m.
The entire process for orientation and safety, practice and the actual rappelling, which will be done down the front right side of the building – basically infront of the League.
“Two people will be rappelling at the same time,” Jantzen said.
There will also be a kickoff event the night before at Cheers.
For questions, email Jantzen at kjantzen@riverbendcmhc.org. To sign up, visit riverbendcmhc.org/ dare-care-riverbend-challenge.
Insider staff
