'Over the Edge' raising funds for child advocacy resources

Oct. 12—If you see people hanging off the side of a Downtown building this Saturday, don't be alarmed. They're raising awareness and funding for a good cause.

The Voices of Courage Child Advocacy Center in St. Joseph, an organization dedicated to raising awareness about child abuse and trauma, is holding its "Over the Edge" fundraiser.

The event has people who have raised money for the organization repel off the side of the 14-story Corby Place building. The fundraiser offsets the costs of the organization so it does not have to charge families in need.

Melissa Birdsell, executive director of Voices of Courage, said the event aligns well with the organization's mission and helps make sure they continue to be able to serve the community's youth for years to come.

"We're asking people to be brave and do something that is really kind of scary for them, which is what we do with kids every day," Birdsell said. "We ask kids to come in, tell us their story of abuse or whatever trauma they've been through and we're asking them to do that on the regular. We want to make sure that when we bring something to town like this that is a big event that it aligns with our mission and this really does very well."

This is the first year the event has had more than 40 participants, with 52 people signed up to climb down the building so far. Those who want to take part must raise $1,000 to support the mission. The money raised provides for forensic interviews and therapy sessions, among other things.

"We don't charge families for our services, so all of the mental health treatment that we provide is free of charge to those families," Birdsell said. "We need to be able to continue to function and provide these services to these families. The number of children we see is, you know, hundreds of children a year."

It takes about an hour to prepare for someone to go up to the top of the building, train individuals and get the harnesses set. Birdsell, who organizes the event has participated.

"For me, it was difficult because I do have a significant fear of heights, an unreasonable fear of heights," Birdsell said. "If you have decided you want to go, you're excited to do it. Some people have some hesitation but they realize that this is something they really want to try or they want to face their fear of heights. And so it's just an opportunity to either have a really good time or really face your fear."

This is the fifth time the event will take place in town, but just the second time at the Corby building, as it previously was held at the Hillyard building. There will be food trucks and free bounce houses from 11 a.m. until the end of the event sometime between 3 and 4 p.m. Saturday at 422 Felix St.

Voices of Courage offers several services to the community, as well as working with local agencies such as law enforcement and children's divisions across nine counties to provide support when and where it is needed. The organization works directly with families and children after trauma to provide mental health treatment as well as advocacy for those involved, ensuring they have steps to move forward.

Those interested in signing up can visit the Voices of Courage website at voicescac.org/.