Cris Carter headlines kickoff party for 2025 ‘Down for the Challenge’ event
A kickoff party for The Salvation Army's fifth-annual Down for the Challenge urban rappelling event and fundraiser took place June 11 at Mill District Event Spaces in downtown Minneapolis, where more than 100 people gathered to support the cause (see photos). Minnesota Vikings legend and NFL Hall of Famer Cris Carter (pictured) headlined the event and was joined by corporate partners, Twin Cities social media influencers, and other Salvation Army supporters.
Registration is now open for this year’s Down for the Challenge, which takes place July 25-26 at the Omni Viking Lakes Hotel in Eagan during the opening weekend of Vikings training camp.
Down for the Challenge will feature up to 150 motivated individuals to rappel 15 stories down the side of the hotel by raising at least $1,000 with an easy-to-use peer-to-peer platform. These donations make a real impact by helping families avoid eviction and by providing emergency shelter, food, and transitional housing for those working toward stability and independence.
New for this year’s Down for the Challenge event is the opportunity for those with disabilities to rappel through use of a special roof platform. Natasha Best (pictured), a paraplegic who found housing through a Salvation Army program, will be the first person at Down For The Challenge to rappel in a wheelchair. (Read Natasha’s story.)
Down for the Challenge has raised more than $2 million over the past four years to support Salvation Army programs that fight homelessness. Participants who raise $1,000 will help fund:
- Eviction prevention for three families
- Twenty nights of emergency shelter, meals, and other care
- Three months of transitional housing
- Nearly 3,000 pounds of food or 1,800 hot meals
“In the face of higher food and rent costs, it’s an immense challenge for many people to afford housing – especially those who have dealt with generational poverty all their lives,” said Lt. Colonel Randall Polsley, Salvation Army Northern Division commander. “The Down for the Challenge initiative provides critical support for our homelessness prevention programs while also supporting emergency and transitional housing programs that help move people along a path toward self-sufficiency.”
On any given night, well over 10,000 Minnesotans experience homelessness, according to the latest Wilder Research report. Rising costs have pushed many families to the brink, with 57,000 Minnesota households currently behind on rent and eviction filings up 44 percent vs. pre-pandemic levels.
You Down? Support The Salvation Army’s efforts to fight homelessness by signing up for our Down for the Challenge urban rappelling event or by giving a donation. This adrenaline-pumping event takes place July 25-26 at the Omni Viking Lakes Hotel during Vikings training camp.