Seneca Waterways Council Boy Scouts of America will hold its 12th annual 21 Stories For Scouts rappelling event on Friday, August 27. The annual fundraiser returns to the Kodak Headquarters building on State Street, providing individuals and corporate teams the unique opportunity to rappel down the outside of the building some 240 feet. As of June 24, 84 individuals and 11 corporate teams had already signed up to go “over the edge.”
All participants must pre-register online at www.21storiesforscouts.org and raise $1,100 in either a single contribution or through collected pledges. A corporate team of six rappellers can take to the ropes for $5,500.
There are many ways to participate in addition to rappelling: sponsor a rappeller or scout to rappel or make a general donation to support the youth in scouting. Proceeds from the event support the delivery of scouting’s character and leadership development programs for low-income, at-risk, underserved youth in Rochester and throughout the five-county service area of Monroe, Ontario, Seneca, Wayne, and Yates Counties.
The Seneca Waterways Council partners with a global company, Over the Edge, whose skilled professionals run the event. It was one of the first Boy Scout Councils in the country to host an extreme rappelling event with Over The Edge and is the company’s longest-running scout-hosted event in North America. Stephen Hoitt, Seneca Waterways Council CEO, remarked, “Partnering with Over the Edge has allowed us to offer this unique event that exemplifies what the young men and women in scouting experience every day… and that’s having opportunities for personal growth and overcoming obstacles that block you from achieving your goals and gaining self-confidence by doing something different and giving it your best!”
This “extreme” fundraising event is open to anyone interested in the challenge of rappelling a skyscraper or who wishes to fulfill a bucket list item. No experience in rappelling is necessary, and all participants also receive training before their rappel to familiarize themselves with the gear. Every precaution is taken to ensure that participants have a safe, secure, and fun experience from start to finish. “Since the first rappel 12 years ago, more than 650 thrill-seekers, people looking to overcome their fear of heights, and others wanting to check it off their bucket list, have harnessed up to rappel down hundreds of feet to have the thrill of a lifetime,” remarked event chair, Bill Schweinfurth.
Organizers say that age is not a factor, and over the history of the event, young teens to individuals in their 90s have rappelled. The only requirement is the participant must weigh at least 100 pounds.
To learn more about 21 Stories for Scouts and how to participate, visit www.21storiesforscouts.org.
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