Supporters are invited to rappel down the Lakeland Electric Building April 16 & 17 to support girls at Pace Polk
LAKELAND, Fla. – March 25, 2021 – Pace Center for Girls (Pace), a nationally-recognized program that provides girls and young women an opportunity for a better future, will host its first-ever Ten Story Challenge on Friday, April 16 and Saturday, April 17 to raise awareness and funding for the Pace Polk Center.
“My wife, Pam and I are very excited to participate in the Ten Story Challenge fundraising event that will benefit the girls at Pace Center for Girls, Polk,” said Bill Mutz, Mayor of Lakeland. “Pace Polk has been a member of our Polk County community for 20 years and has served over 1,200 girls. We have decided to rappel down the Lakeland Electric building to raise awareness for the girls they serve.”
Community members are encouraged to sponsor a family member, friend or colleague participating in the challenge. Participants slated to rappel include Bill Mutz, Mayor of Lakeland and Mary Marx, president and CEO of Pace Center for Girls. Individuals interested in becoming an ‘edger’ are asked to raise a minimum of $1,000 through sponsorships to participate in the challenge. This event will follow CDC recommended guidelines for social distancing, masks and will have hand sanitizing stations available.
“The event inspires participants to challenge themselves much like we challenge our girls every day at Pace,” said Marx. “Every floor of the building represents the story of one of our Pace girls and how she’s overcome her own challenges. We’re so pleased to open this event to the public in hopes our girls’ stories inspire confidence and empower others across the community.”
Since Pace founded its Polk center in 2001, more than 1,200 girls have been served by Pace and gone on to graduate high school, pursue higher education and find career opportunities. Among girls served by Pace Polk, 98% improved academically and 92% have had no involvement with the juvenile justice system within one year after completing Pace.
“The programming and services we provide our girls daily is made possible by generous donations and the support of our community,” said Ellen Katzman ACSW, Executive Director of Pace Center for Girls Polk, “The Ten Story Challenge is a fun way for us to bring the community together and raise awareness of the work we do so we can continue to serve even more girls across Polk County.”
The Ten Story Challenge is produced by Over the Edge events and will be hosted at the Lakeland Electric Building located at 501 E Lemon St, Lakeland, FL 33801. Participants can sign up to rappel, sponsor an ‘edger’ or donate to Pace through the event through April 16.
For more information about the Ten Story Challenge and to register, visit https://www.pacecenter.org/locations/polk/pace-polk-ten-story-challenge. To learn more about Pace Center for Girls, visit www.pacecenter.org.
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About Pace Center for Girls
Founded in 1985 in Jacksonville, Florida, Pace Center for Girls serves more than 3,000 vulnerable girls annually in Florida and Georgia. Pace has received national recognition for its research-based and gender responsive model of program delivery, including academic support, counseling, and life-skills training. Learn more at PaceCenter.org.