Community Corner

100 People Rappel Down Westin-Pasadena to Raise Awareness About Addiction

Nearly 100 people went to new heights in Pasadena today to raise awareness about addiction.

Participants rappelled down the Westin-Pasadena hotel this afternoon as part of the Shatterproof Challenge, which seeks to raise funds to protect children from addiction to alcohol or other drugs.

The event is the first of many that will be taking place across the country over the next several months.

Find out what's happening in Altadenawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Eric Rutter, who helped organize the Shatterproof Challenge, said many of the participants have a direct connection to addiction in some way.

"Here today you'll find that a lot of folks are in recovery or have family members (in recovery)," Rutter said. "It's hard to actually come into contact with somebody who doesn't know somebody that has been affected."

Find out what's happening in Altadenawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Participants in the event included actors Alex Newell, who plays the character Wade on Fox's "Glee," and Jamie Gray Hyder, who is on USA Network's "Graceland," and reality star Gretchen Bonaduce.

Shatterproof was founded in 2012 by Gary Mendell, a member of the Clinton Health Matters Initiative. His son, Brian, committed suicide at age 25 after struggling with addiction.

Learn more at shatterproof.org.

—City News Service


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Altadena