File Photo/ Tammy Kruse, director of development at Youth Services System, rappels down the Stone Center during the Wheeling YWCA's Over the Edge event last year.

WHEELING — Don’t be alarmed at the unusual sight of people rappelling from the top of the Stone Center in downtown Wheeling on Saturday. It’s all for a good cause.

“Over the Edge,” in its fourth year, supports the YWCA of Wheeling by inviting area residents to jump off the seven-story building — attached to a rope, of course, — so long as they each raise at least $1,000 in contributions. The money finances the organization’s various programs, which support cultural diversity and women and offer refuge against domestic violence.

Lori Jones, executive director of the YWCA, said the event has collected more than $200,000 over the last three years.

She said the design of the fundraiser leverages the effectiveness of word-of-mouth promotion. Rather than a organization blasting potential donors repeatedly with campaign material, Over the Edge leans on individuals who go out and talk about the fact they’ll wear a harness and climb down a building as a means to incite interest.

“If I can convince you that programs of the YWCA are valid, then you can convince others that we’re worth it, as well,” Jones said.

She said the organization helped 9,056 people across its service area in the last year. For example, its Women Inspired in New Directions program offers peer support and case management for individuals needing a new lease on life in the face of drug addiction. It also provides court advocacy and transitional housing for those who have experienced domestic violence.

But Over the Edge keeps it light. The event comes with assistance from a company in Nova Scotia, Canada, which deploys similar programs nationwide. Here in Wheeling, it’s a chance to see a local celebrity such as Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliott in a helmet a few stories up while knowing some good will be done with the money.

For the participants, Jones said it’s a rewarding challenge.

“It’s very empowering,” she said. “You feel good when you get back on the ground because you just accomplished something you didn’t think you could.”