Lynn and Ron Dickerson drove together silently from Modesto to downtown Stockton in late October 2016. The nervousness about what they’d been preparing for didn’t hit them until the morning of — when they stepped off a 12-story building.
“The hardest part is that first step,” said Lynn. “That’s the scariest part.”
She compared it to skydiving, that moment when you have to step out of the plane. “You can stare at the door all day long, but until you take that first step, you have to grit your teeth, close your eyes, and say, OK, I gotta do this, where’s my courage?” she said.
When the Dickersons rappelled down the side of the Stockton Medico-Dental Tower all those years back, they were participating in Over the Edge, a fundraiser for Modesto’s Community Hospice Foundation. This year, the event is being held in Modesto to benefit LearningQuest — Stanislaus Literacy Centers.
The Modesto-based educational nonprofit is hosting Over the Edge on Oct. 12 at the five-story building at 1524 McHenry Ave. Its name is the Fifteen24 Professional Center, but it’s commonly known as the black glass building. The first descent begins at 8 a.m., and the event runs throughout the day. Over half of the 100 rappelling spots already have been filled, at $1,000 apiece.