Espanola native faces fears to raise funds

On May 30, Deanna Lebel will rapel down the 24-storey Place du Canada building in downtown Montréal as part of Make-A-Wish's Rope for Hope fundraiser.

The kicker? Lebel, a native of Espanola and Collège Boréal grad who's been living in Montréal for two and a half years, said she's afraid of heights.

“I'm not thinking about it yet,” she said. “It'll be scary when I'm standing at the top of the building. I walked by last week to see how high (the building) is, and it's pretty high.”

But Lebel said she has a soft spot for kids, and wanted to help out Make-A-Wish, an organization that grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions.

So far, Lebel has raised about $600 of her Rope for Hope $1,500 fundraising goal. She's hoping people in the north will help her out.

To make an online donation, Google “Deanna Lebel Rope for Hope” and click on her Cause2Give donation page.