Once Gerry Austgarden’s wheels went over the edge of a Kelowna, B.C., tower he had entered the ‘Drop Zone,’ where he and his chair rappelled 23 storeys in an effort to raise funds for the Easter Seals BC and Yukon.
He was one of the 52 people who signed up and took part in the annual Easter Seals Drop Zone fundraiser where they rappelled down the side of one of the towers in Kelowna’s Landmark District.
“It was a little scary I guess because it took them quite an effort to get me over the edge there. Once I got that done, it was pretty good,” said Austgarden.
This year’s fundraising goal is $100,000 and a majority of that money will go toward the Easter Seals camp programs in B.C. including Easter Seals Camp Shawnigan on Vancouver Island, Easter Seals Camp Squamish and Camp Winfield in the Okanagan.
“Camp is a very expensive endeavour. We put through roughly 1,000 people through our camp program a year in the province,” said the CEO and president of Easter Seals BC and Yukon, Lisa Beck.
“It costs us about $3,600 per camper and it’s because of our high ratio [of camp counsellors and other support staff] that we need, we [also] need registered nurses in our staff.”
Those added supports are necessary for campers of all ages who have physical and cognitive differences. With the right team in place, the campers can let loose, have fun and make memories that will last a lifetime without having to worry.
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“From my perspective, camp is the best place on earth. These campers come and spend a week doing whatever they want — high ropes, low ropes, pool, all kinds of activities,” said the vice-president of programs and services, James Gagnon.
“So many of our campers are told ‘no’ in their daily life, they can’t do this, they can’t do that, this isn’t accessible. When they come to camp we don’t know the word, we make it work.”
This is the first of four Drop Zone events in the province this month. The next one is in Vancouver on Sept. 10, another is in Burnaby on Sept. 14th and the last one is in Victoria on Sept. 18.
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