Boy Scouts of America, (BSA), Troop 48, Assistant Scout Leader Jeremy Boyce, accepted a challenge from a fellow board member at a BSA fundraising meeting. The challenge was to rappel the Kodak Tower in downtown Rochester as part of the “21 Stories for Scouts” fundraiser for the Boy Scouts of America Seneca Waterways Council. “Tony Zogl knows that I am enthusiastic about life, and asked me to get a group together to participate in the fundraiser. I asked some guys that I work with at Kennedy Mechanical Contractors to accept the challenge, and we all did,” Boyce said.
“21 Stories for Scouts” gives volunteers a unique opportunity to challenge themselves beyond their comfort zone and pushes them to new limits. Volunteers represented a cross section of Rochester and surrounding counties, with business leaders, Scouting volunteers and Scouts themselves all committing to raising at least $1,100 per individual. The Seneca Waterways Council partnered with Over the Edge, a company that conducts extreme rappelling events all over North America.
In his job as a designer at Kennedy Mechanical, Boyce has worked on many of the tall buildings in Rochester. He said, “Our group was just working on the Granite Building, on East Main Street, Downtown. The Granite Building is 12 stories high. We were looking over at the Kodak Tower, which was our future quest, saying that it didn’t look that much taller. How hard could it be? We were thinking that way, until we got to the base of the Kodak Tower on the day of the rappel.”
On the big day, the group spent some time hanging out on the rooftop, looking out over the spectacular view of Rochester, a feeling that 21 stories up in the air afforded. They marveled at just how far you can see on a clear day, which it was on May 13th.
“Everything was going great for me, then came the part where they asked us to step up to the railing. My self-preservation mode kicked in, it was a very odd feeling. It was so counterintuitive to go over to the other side of the railing, dissolving all the safety rules that I practice at my job in building construction, and that I learned all through life, stay away from the railing. Once I was over the railing onto the edge, I was thinking that it was just a couple of pieces of rope holding me up here. The rappel down was a surreal feeling for the first couple of minutes, then I started looking all around and seeing just how amazing the views that were being offered were, it was the pinnacle of the descend. Time slows to a crawl,” he said.
After he was firmly on the ground Boyce said, “It was a very completed feeling. I thought to myself, I did a thing. I got out of my comfort zone and it goes beyond that because it was all for a good cause.”
Boyce grew up in the Boy Scout program. “Scouting is an invaluable experience for individuals. I am so happy to see that young ladies are also becoming involved with the program. Youth of all ages are getting into it. I learned so much in the scouting program, including outdoor skills and leadership skills that I use to this day. I learned about surviving and enjoying being outside. I use many skills that I learned in boy scouts while camping, including first aid and keeping your wits about you. The leadership skills learned teaches you how to take charge of yourself, which is a valuable skill. It helps with direction, starting you out on the right foot in life.”
Boyce is the Assistant Leader of Troop 48. They meet at the Greece Baptist Church, and were chartered in 1928, which makes them the oldest troop in the area.
This year’s “21 Stories for Scouts” event was a huge success with 81 volunteers rappelling the 240 feet down the Kodak Tower raising $98,000 for local Scouting outreach programs focused in the City of Rochester. “We are incredibly proud of all the hard work that our volunteers put in to reach, and in many cases, exceed their fundraising goals,” says Stephen Hoitt, Scout Executive/CEO of Seneca Waterways Council. “The experience, trepidation and excitement that a Scout feels atop a 30-foot climbing wall at summer camp is very similar to what these volunteers felt when they leaned back over the balcony, 240 feet above the ground. Thanks to the generosity of some incredible donors in our community, we were able to have a record number of Scouts rappel this year.”
The Seneca Waterways Council extends its thanks to Kodak for the use of the building, for their incredible volunteers who helped participants cycle through the event, and for sponsoring two teams of participants. Thanks also go to the following local companies who sponsored teams to rappel: CGI Digital, Harris Beach LLC, Hoselton Auto Mall, Kennedy Mechanical, Paychex, Rochester’s Cornerstone Group, Sage Rutty, The Strong Museum, LeChase Construction, HB Cornerstone, and Taylor the Builder. The Council also extends its thanks to ESL for sponsoring a participant gift, and to Thermo Fischer Scientific for donating custom Nalgene water bottles for our rappellers.
“21 Stories for Scouts” will return in spring 2023. For more information on Scouting or to make a donation to this event, visit www.21storiesforscouts.org or call (585) 244-4210.
