70 People To Rappel Down Arlington Hotel To End Homelessness

ARLINGTON, VA — More than 70 people will be rappelling down the side of a Crystal City hotel in Arlington on Friday to raise money to help end homelessness in Northern Virginia.

From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, the fundraisers for New Hope Housing, a local nonprofit, will rappel down the side of the 14-story Hilton Crystal City.

Along with the Hilton Crystal City, Keller Williams MetroCenter and Over The Edge Global are organizing the fundraiser, called “14 Stories of New Hope.”

At a VIP reception from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, 10 people will be rappelling down the side of the hotel, including Arlington County Board member Matt de Ferranti and Lois Cook, the captain of the DC Divas. The reception is sponsored by TV One Networks.

Other sponsors of the event include Greg Garcia, television producer and creator of “My Name is Earl,” Ourisman Automotive, UPS, TRUIST, Virginia Housing, Modern Technology Solutions Inc. and Sportrock Climbing Centers.

Rappelers are inviting friends and family to view their 160-foot descent from The Landing Zone, an all-day festival at the base of the hotel with food, dj, music and booths from event sponsors. The public is invited to attend, and there may be opportunities for people to walk up and rappel.

"14 Stories of New Hope" has already raised more than $200,000 for New Hope Housing’s programs to help homeless adults move to housing. The rappelers participating in the event are still fundraising.

This event coincides with the annual RED Day (Renew, Energize, Donate) of service for Keller Williams. Since 2009 the entire Keller Williams company performs service during the first week of May. KW MetroCenter has been partnering with New Hope Housing on RED Day since 2018.

"We have proudly partnered with New Hope Housing over the past several years on a joint mission to end homelessness in our local communities, raising over $60,000 in goods services, and money," Kate Papkin, KW MetroCenter general manager, said in a statement. "This year, we are proud to come together to do something epic with our OVER THE EDGE campaign and raise the bar for funds raised and impact made.”

For more information about the event, visit www.otenewhope.com.