Those descending from the Sparks Street building donned character costumes of all kinds as a part of the Drop Zone Ottawa event. Lisa Thibodeau, Centretown NewsPeople in downtown Ottawa had their eyes to the sky recently as the annual Drop Zone event challenged residents to don mountain-climbing gear and repel off a 20-storey building on Slater Street in an effort to raise money for children living with disabilities.
Now in its seventh year of partnership with Easter Seals Ontario, which supports these children and their families, Drop Zone Ottawa has raised more than $500,000 with the help of their participants.
“This event is always popular because it really is something different,” says Hayley Magermans, the event coordinator and development officer for Easter Seals Ottawa. “It gives people a chance to be a hero, and face their fears in support of youth with disabilities.”
To take part in the high-flying fundraiser, each participant had to raise a minimum of $1,500, and was encouraged to wear a favourite superhero costume on the day of the event.
“I’m a huge thrill seeker, so this once in a lifetime opportunity was great for an adrenaline junkie like me,” said Brad Hartzke, who chose to dress like Batman for his first time repelling. “The view from the top was incredibly beautiful.”
Onlookers watched in awe as superheroes, dragons, and even a Pokémon character swung down from the sky. Many family and friends were in attendance, cheering as around 50 participants took their turn scaling down the side of the building.
Money raised at the Drop Zone events goes toward two main areas of the Easter Seals’ work, explained Magermans.
The mobility equipment that many families need to purchase often retails at an extremely high price, so the organization offers financial assistance to help support the cost.
Easter Seals also hosts a summer camp in Ontario for youth living with disabilities. According to Magermans, the 10-day experience can be quite costly for some families, so a portion of the funds raised by Drop Zone goes toward sending these children to camp, which usually ends up running at 100-per-cent capacity.
“The kids get to enjoy some really life-changing experiences,” says Magermans. “All of the activities offered are completely accessible, so everyone has an opportunity to have fun, and try new things.”
New to this year’s Drop Zone event was a partnership with Breakaway Experiences, a Centretown-based adventure business. A number of prizes were being offered by the company to those who raised the most money at both the local and national level.
“We are all about getting people doing those unique, exciting experiences they would normally never do but have always wanted to try,” says Dan Brennan, the chief experience officer at Breakaway Experiences. “It’s a great fit for us to be working with an adventurous event that raises awareness and funds so that everyone can check something off their bucket list.”
Drop Zone events have been taking place all across Canada since 2005, and have raised close to $10 million for the Easter Seals charity.
“This really is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” says Magermans. “It is very representative that you can overcome anything.”