I am pleased to report that Special Olympics New Mexico met its financial goal for this first-ever dramatic and appealing rappelling fundraiser.



Over the Edge grossed $63,775 -- quite wonderful for a first-time event in an uncertain economy - that SONM had only three months to prepare for. The net was $35,000 -- just where they wanted to be.



I myself raised just under $2,500 from more than 80 contributors.



Would I do it again?



Certainly I'm proud that… Continue

This afternoon, I completed my OVER THE EDGE rappel for Special Olympics NM at the NM Bank & Trust Building, 320 SW Gold. It took about 15 minutes or so.



Turned out that the building is 16 stories high, not 14 as I originally thought !



I needed a lot of extra preparation to keep myself calm, including visualization and deep breathing -- which I did at home for an hour before going downtown.



When I got there, a former military rappel master - now with the NM… Continue

Last Saturday, September 19: When you're hooked up to the ropes, they ask you to sit back in the harness, stretch your legs out wide, and put your feet solidly on the wall. Then, you slowly release the rope and slide down.



If you're brave enough, you can bounce along the wall as you go down. I wasn't ready for that, but I felt a real sense of triumph when I got down to the bottom.



All OVER THE EDGE participants who were at the gym supported each other's practice… Continue

About a month ago, I started preparing by squeezing two release mechanisms (with both hands) that will be similar to the one I'll be using on Rappel Day this Thursday, 1:25 pm.



I'm up to about 30 each time I do it.



Occasionally, I also squeeze a small rubber ball.



This past Saturday, I went to Stone Age Climbing Gym, where the owners are offering free training classes to Over the Edge participants.



After being outfitted with a wait-to-knees harness, I… Continue

It's been a while since I posted, but I am delighted to report that I am closing in on $2,300 in contributions for my rappel. I've been receiving online donations at my personal page, www.firstgiving.com/Jane Blume



The required minimum donation to participate is $1,000 - so I am delighted by the response.



I thought I was going OVER THE EDGE this Friday, the 25th. However, because I'm the publicist for this event, and the media sponsor, they want me to do the deed on… Continue

Special Olympics NM is looking for more enthusiastic thrill-seekers to go Over the Edge and rappel on Friday, Sept. 25.



This is the first annual event and several dozen folks have signed up already; however there is room for 80 on the ropes and we'd certainly like more.



You must commit to raising the minimum amount by Friday, Sept. 18. If you have a network, as I do, it shouldn't be too hard. Your friends, family and colleagues would rather see you do it than brave the… Continue

I viewed some Over the Edge rappelling videos today from another city, and I'm not sure I should have:



One rappeller jumped far away from the side of the building as he descended; another one almost turned upside down. That really scared me.



(And the view 200 feet down to the street... !)



But the final segment showed a TV reporter going down smoothly. It gave me more courage.



It's a good thing I'm taking those free classes at Stone Age Climbing… Continue

NEWS FLASH: Mayor Martin Chavez has agreed to rappel down the side of the NM Bank and Trust Building on Media Day, Thursday, Sep. 24:.



He'll be the first to go down at 12:15 p.m.



One of his rivals in the mayoral race, former Sen. Richard Romero, has also agreed to go Over the Edge; I'll announce his time as soon as I know it.



We've got several other media people lined up also: Bill Anderson, GM for KRQE 13 and KASA Fox 2... Megan… Continue

The date and time of my Over the Edge rappel for Special Olympics NM have been confirmed:

Thursday, September 24, Media Day, 1:25 pm

Why on Media Day? As it happens, I actually am a member of the media because I host two shows on KUNM-FM.

I have exceeded my minimum fundraising target of $1,000 to participate in Special Olympics NM's "Over the Edge" fundraiser. As of today, the total is now over $1,400 -- and more folks still want to contribute.

I'm so gratified by the response; interested people can go to my personal page at www.firstgiving.com/Jane Blume

I am delighted to report that I have raised a bit over $1,000, which is the minimum amount I need to be eligible to participate in the September 25th Over the Edge rappel for Special Olympics NM.



I am delighted and thrilled with the initial response, and am going to try to raise more.



My ideal goal was to raise at least $1,000 in $10 contributions from 100 people. To date, however, the average contribution has been $28+ -- almost three times what I… Continue

In a previous post, I mentioned that I'm doing some exercises to strengthen my hands and forearms, because I will have to squeeze a device that releases my guide rope so that I can descend.



As you can imagine, additional physical and mental preparation is needed. Fortunately, Special Olympics New Mexico has partnered with Stone Age Climbing Gym in Albuquerque to offer a free rappelling lesson to Over the Edge participants -- with two dates in September from which to… Continue

The response to my fundraising for the Over the Edge rappel continues to be extraordinary and I am overwhelmed and so thankful.

As of this morning, officially (with an offline contribution still to be tallied) I have only $225 more to raise to achieve my $1,000 goal.

My original aim was to garner $10 contributions from 100 people. The average donation has been more than twice that figure.

Am I physically ready to do this rappel?



Not yet, I don't think!



I like to walk for exercise, but I am not what one would consider truly "athletic".



So how to prepare...



The first thing I did was to follow a suggestion from Special Olympics to strengthen my hands and wrists, because I'm going to have to press a device that releases my guide rope, allowing me to descend.



The instructions said that all this pressing can get pretty tiring,… Continue

This is getting to be a lot of fun -- and deeply moving.



I checked my special page at www.firstgiving.com/JaneBlume this morning, and - thanks to some very wonderful people - I am now over 55% of my $1,000 goal.



A number of others have pledged their support, but I am not counting their donations until they're actually been recorded online or I have actually received their checks.



The deadline to raise my pledged contribution is Monday, September… Continue

Last week, I created my own special page - www.firstgiving.com/JaneBlume - to make it easier for interested people to contribute to my $1,000 goal for my Special Olympics New Mexico fundraising rappel.



I thought it would really be neat if I could get 100 people to give me $10 each.



I started letting people know about the rappel unofficially two weeks ago, and received a couple of "offline contributions." One contribution was really "major." The other came from the resident… Continue

Why would a widowed (October '07), new grandmother (April '09) rappel down a 210-ft, 14-story building in downtown Albuquerque on Friday, September 25 to help raise funds to support the sports competition and training programs for NM Special Olympics athletes?



It started back in April, when I was asked (as a professional PR person) to help with the pubicity and promotion for Over the Edge. The whole concept intrigued me from the start.



I've also been in a different frame… Continue

APRIL 2009: I was asked to help promote a fundraiser for Special Olympics New Mexico: "Over the Edge."



The Date: Friday, September 25, 2009.



Although Special Olympics was founded to train and provide athletic competitions for athletes with special needs, the organization has never done a fundraiser quite like this!



The idea of Over the Edge is that a charity enlists volunteers to experience the thrill of a lifetime by rappelling down… Continue