Rising Above Ministry board member Dan Rigler went sky high in the basket of a crane in the Staples parking lot Friday morning to raise funding for a new $5 million residential addiction treatment facility in Grande Prairie.
The Rising Higher Crane Event is a two-day test of endurance where Rigler will sit 150 feet in the air to raise awareness for drug poisonings and overdoses in the community. Rigler has built up a reputation as the daredevil of Rising Above, spending two days wrapped in chains while walking around the city five years ago and pulling a 120-pound crate around the city to represent the weight of addiction.
“God put it on my heart to do this originally 10 years ago, and it transformed my life,” he says. “Ten years ago we were trying to raise money to keep the doors open, and it’s really cool to see in 10 years we’ve grown so much that we need more money for another building to keep growing.”
Despite Rigler’s desire to live on the edge, he says these stunts are no walk in the park, and he depends on the support of his friends and ministry to pull him through.
“I’m claustrophobic, I’m afraid of heights, and I get motion sick,” he said before the event. “I have the confidence from all the other stuff I’ve done that God shows up, my friends show up, and it works really well, so this one I can have my fears, but it’ll still go good.”
Rigler is scheduled to remain in the crane’s basket for the entire weekend, and eager visitors are encouraged to head to the Staples parking lot to witness the stunt and donate to the cause on-site.
