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Photos of last year's event courtesy of the United Way of Buffalo & Erie County.
Photos of last year's event courtesy of the United Way of Buffalo & Erie County.

United Way of Buffalo & Erie County, Oishei Children's Hospital challenge community to go 'Over the Edge'

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Mon, Jun 27th 2022 05:20 pm

Oct. 1 rappelling fundraiser to benefit moms, kids, and families in WNY

United Way of Buffalo & Erie County and Oishei Children’s Hospital have joined together again for the second year to bring “Over the Edge” – a unique peer-to-peer fundraiser and rappelling event – to Buffalo this fall. Together, they are challenging the community to step up, face their fears, and go over the edge to support programs, research and direct care that provide building blocks for a healthy future. 

Presented by Tops Friendly Markets, the event will take place Saturday, Oct. 1. Participants will rappel over the 20-story M&T building at One M&T Plaza throughout the day after raising money from family, friends, corporations and peers to benefit the two organizations. Last year, “Over the Edge” in Buffalo raised over $230,000 for the organizations, with 76 participants rappelling down the building.

"Giving moms, babies and children a healthy start takes both excellent health care and wrap-around community supports,” said Michael Weiner, president and CEO, United Way of Buffalo & Erie County. “That's why partnering with Oishei Children's Hospital is such a natural fit for United Way. We are excited to build on the momentum of last year's event to continue to raise awareness and critical funds to improve health equity in our community."

Photos of last year’s event courtesy of the United Way of Buffalo & Erie County.

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“We are proud to join United Way of Buffalo & Erie County for the second year to bring this exciting and unique event, and bring the community together to support the moms, kids and babies of Western New York,” said Allegra C. Jaros, MBA, president, Oishei Children’s Hospital. “Last year was such a success, and participants – some of my team included – really enjoyed it; so we look forward to this year!”

“Tops Friendly Markets strongly believes in giving back to the communities in which we serve. We are proud to say that, over the past two decades, we’ve raised over $5.2 million for the United Way, and over $9 million for Oishei Children’s Hospital,” said Diane Colgan, United Way board member and senior vice president for Tops Friendly Markets. “We’re excited to return as sponsor of the ‘Over the Edge’ event, a thrilling way to reward someone who steps up to the challenge of giving back to these two remarkable organizations vital to our community.”

A press release noted, “Children and families in our community rely on these organizations to be there when they need it. With 1 in 10 babies in Erie County born prematurely, and 70% of the patients and families cared for at Oishei Children's Hospital covered through Medicaid, donations are critical. On top of the medical attention many kids and families require, even more are lacking access to health resources and experiencing devastating economic hardships following the challenges of the last few years.”

Tops Friendly Markets President John Persons said, “We have supported both United Way and Oishei Children’s Hospital programming for many years, but this is a unique and exciting fundraiser for both charities. We truly believe in the work of both agencies as they align nicely with our philanthropic mission, and we look forward to the WNY community being a part of something special.”

To register, sponsor or donate to a participant, visit https://give.overtheedge.events/otebuffalo2022. Limited rappelling spaces are available. 

For more on the United Way of Buffalo & Erie County, visit uwbec.org.

The John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital is online at https://www.ochbuffalo.org/.

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