Sept. 12, 4 p.m.-ish
“Are you afraid of heights?”
“No,” I replied hesitantly. I’m not afraid of heights. But when your employer asks a question like that, you know you’re in for…something.
“Want to rappel down the PNC building?”
“Um, OK?”
Fast forward to Oct. 11, 2 p.m.-ish
It’s a beautiful day. Clear skies. Crisp air. Abundant sunshine (to quote the Weather Channel’s forecast). And I’m taking in the downtown Columbus skyline atop a 317-foot tall building.
I am loving it.
Despite the fact that I’m wearing a harness and a helmet and a walkie talkie (in case of an emergency), and there are buckles and carabiners (I think) all over my torso, the task ahead of me hasn’t sunk in.
“Melanie’s coming down on yellow,” a technician says into his walkie talkie.
And then it hits me. I’m about to descend a 20-story building using my feet and a damn (yellow) rope.
What. The. Hell?!
I get butterflies in my stomach. The palms of my hands and my feet start to sweat. But there’s no turning back now.
Not that I would anyway. One, I have far too much pride to chicken out. Two, it’s all for a good cause.
Raising money for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio, to be exact.
Over the Edge for Kids’ Sake is a fundraising event in which “Edgers” drum up money to support the agency’s work here in Central Ohio and, in return, get to rappel down the PNC Bank Building at 155 E. Broad St.
“We wanted to provide the community a new and different way to help our kids,” said Edward Cohn, president and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio.
“We know leaning backwards over the face of the building and descending past 19 floors of offices will be a challenge for our Edgers,” he continued. “Many of the kids we serve face challenges in their day-to-day lives, and this event will help raise the funds to provide kids with a mentor to help them build self-confidence and achieve success.”
Edgers will descend the building Oct. 12 between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. If you’re in the area, feel free to cheer them on!
As for me… I lived to tell the story, obviously. (And it’s a good thing because I basically signed my life away before I was allowed anywhere near that rooftop.)
Has this rappelling adventure morphed me into an adrenaline junkie on the quest for her next high? Not so much.
Would I rappel down a tall office building again to help raise awareness and money for deserving kids? Absolutely.
To learn more about Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio, visit BBBSCentralOhio.org.
