United Way’s Third Over the Edge Event

It is Saturday, September 20th, and I am attending the United Way’s third Over the Edge event. Over the Edge, a professional company founded by Paul Griffith in Nova Scotia in 2004 organizes urban repelling events for fundraising, team-building, and custom celebrations. Partnering with the Seaway Management Corporation, the Cornwall event raises funds to support local issues such as homelessness, mental health, poverty, food insecurity, and housing. To have the opportunity to repel from the Seaway building’s roof located on the corner of Second Street East and Pitt Street, participants must raise a minimum of $1000.

As soon as I enter the Seaway building, I am hit by a blast from the past. The last time I set foot in this building was in 1987 when I left my employment there to move to Toronto. Little did I know then that I would someday be standing on the roof in full harness and hard hat, tethered for safety to watch people repel from its roof, my camera, also clipped in, at the ready, But here I am with the first group of brave souls, John Towndrow, Councillor Sarah Good, Fresh Radio 104.3’s Cairo McMillan, and Meghan Henderson. I watch as they receive a training session, before being declared ready for the real thing!

The energy is ramping up and the range of emotions are extreme. I feel comfort in knowing that my two feet will remain firmly planted on the ground, but that is not the case for these brave participants. I admire them for having the gumption to face their fears and step off the edge of an eight-storey building, nearly a hundred feet off the ground, all for a great cause. I do my best to take a few photos, my movements limited by my tether rope and the obstacles around me, but safety comes first.

I take in the panoramic view of the city while I am up here and peek over the edge at the crowd below. There is a lot of concrete down there! As the next group receives their instructions, I head back down to watch them from the street level for a different perspective. The Over the Edge Vendor Party is just what I need to spend a little time while I wait for the participants to appear above me. What a great event!