By RYAN SKAITH
St. Joseph Post
The 7th annual 'Over the Edge' fundraiser in coming up in St. Joseph on October 12th to benefit the Voices of Courage Child Advocacy Center.
The event features dozens of participants who have signed up to rappel fourteen stories off the Corby Building in Downtown St. Joseph.
Executive Director of Voices of Courage Child Advocacy Center, Melissa Birdsell, says volunteers are still needed to help with setup, "If it's something that someone is interested in, we can always use more volunteer help. Maybe they're afraid to rappel, but they still want to volunteer."
Birdsell says in order to rappel, individuals who signup to participate need to raise at least $1,000. She notes people can also form teams in order to raise the money.
Voices of Courage has a fundraising goal of $75,000, and participants can signup until the day of the event.
Given that the event involves such a tall structure, Birdsell stresses the event is completely safe, "There are professionals who come to town to rig the building to get it ready and make it nice and safe."
Birdsell says the event is just as much fun for the spectators as it is for the participants. "Its not something you see everyday. Its not like a regular event where you walk through and look at things." Birdsell adds that its a great opportunity for people to learn more about Voices of Courage, a nonprofit organization.
The theme this year is "Heroes for Kids." All participants are encouraged to dress up as their favorite superhero. Birdsell emphasizes for the third year in a row a special type of hero will be participating, "A lot of people's favorite superheroes right now are Kansas City Chiefs and K.C. Wolf will be rappelling for us. The kids love it. He is immediately out there talking with them, hugging them and taking pictures with them."
The Mission for Voices of Courage Child Advocacy Center is, "Responding to child abuse through a team approach to prevent further trauma to children by providing a safe environment for them to disclose abuse and through public education to achieve a better community in which children can thrive."
The 'Over the Edge' event begins at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, October 12.
For more information about Voices of Courage and to register for the event, visit voicescac.org.