Tampa leaders go ‘over the edge’ for charity

TAMPA, Fla. - City of Tampa leaders showed they weren't afraid of heights Saturday morning as they rappelled  17 stories down the side of the Hilton Tampa Downtown to help raise money for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay. 

"It's an incredible experience, to say the least. You get to see the entire city from 17 floors up," Tampa Mayor Jane Castor shared.

Castor and Tampa Police Assistant Chief Ruben Delgado were both at one time "Bigs" themselves.

"Big Brothers Big Sisters is a phenomenal program, specifically for us in law enforcement. We do the "Bigs in Blue" where we pair ourselves up with a kid in school. We spend an hour a week with them and it makes a huge difference," Delgado said.

Last year, Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Tampa Bay paired more than 2,100 children with caring adult mentors in nine area counties.

READ Big Brothers, Big Sisters program helps high school students graduate, seek higher learning

"The parents may not have enough time to spend with the kids. They're working hard to put a roof over their head and food on the table. So to have someone come in and be that mentor and make a difference in a young person's life. That's all it takes is a little bit of time to make a difference in someone's life," Castor said.

On Saturday, more than 53 rapellers participated in the event. In order to take part, you had to raise at least $1,500 on your own. In total, the "Over the Edge" event brought in more $110,000 for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Tampa Bay. Because of the generous efforts, they say this year they'll be able to pair more than 2,600 kids with caring adult mentors.

"If you're not involved in Big Brothers Big Sisters. It's something to get involved with. It's something to spend some time with. It truly does make a big difference for the kids in this community and like I said earlier you usually end up getting more out of it usually than the kids do," Delgado stated.