The Halifax branch of the family, Paul, Sue, Rachel, Jillian, have a company called Over The Edge that helps non-profit organizations raise money. About $75 million to date. It started with a one-time event in Halifax with a brain-wave from Paul. He knew of 3 groups who needed some money so he said, let's charge people $1000 each to rappel off a tall building. And people did buck up for the adventure. There were a few bumps along the start-up trail, but OTE launched in 2008 and a decade later people are still rappelling off tall buildings for charities such as Make A Wish, Special Olympics, Boy Scouts of America, and many, many others. There are events all over North America, and also in Europe and now New Zealand.
For a few years, Rachel and Jillian "saw" their father a lot on Skype or Facetime as he racked up air miles but checked in twice a day with the family.
Two years ago a Victoria event was scheduled but didn't happen but at the time, Paul said he would bring Rachel out to rappel with Jim if we decided to do it. Friends of ours were turning 70 that year and I volunteered myself and Jim to rappel with them. Jim is of the "you are crazy and I am not doing it" school of thought but, really, he wouldn't be happy if I did and he didn't, so eventually he gave in; very reluctantly. He and the other couple were relieved the 2016 rappel was cancelled but I am in the "we'll be a long time dead" school so was a titch disappointed.
Fast forward to 2018, Paul messaged to say he was coming to see us for a few days on his way to Las Vegas. But wait says I, Over The Edge is in Victoria for its first local event the very same week, is that why you are coming here? No, just passing through. I was all over it and Paul, "I'm not a big heights guy", agreed to organize the family to come from Halifax to do the rappel, yes, 6 of us. By organize, I mean turned it over to Sue and cut short his Las Vegas golf trip (silly me, I thought it was work) by a couple of days. And the rest is family history and a fun visit.
The client is Make A Wish BC/Yukon and the building was the CIBC building on the corner of View and Douglas, apparently 15 stories and officially 160 feet from roof to ground. The minimum cost for participants of OTE events is $1500 and the net proceeds go to the sponsoring charity. As a team of 6 that meant we had to raise $9000.00, not exactly chump change. Thanks to brilliant support from our friends and family we eventually raised $10,200.00 and we all got over the edge and to the ground in one piece. I was surprisingly calm but it's not easy to step off the ledge. Even though I was pretty sure the guys on the roof didn't want to kill off the boss's family, you are on your own when you take that step and then "walk" down the building. Jim zoomed down as though he'd been doing it for 20 years while the rest of us were somewhere between a slow crawl and a cautious creep. Some of "our people" came to watch and, on the way down, it was a great comfort to hear them yelling support.
For the right motivation I would do it again and not be so tense, maybe even look around a little bit, but I won't actively go looking for another rappel! Been there, done that...had fun.
 |
| Rachel |
 |
| Paul, Jim, Jillian, Sue, me Rachel |
