ARE YOU UP FOR THE CHALLENGE? YMCA-YWCA CLIFFHANGER ymcaywca.ca YMCA-YWCA of the National Capital Region
About the Y Cliffhanger In its first year ever, the Y s Cliffhanger event promises to be an exhilarating and adrenaline pumping experience from start to finish! Participants have a once in a lifetime opportunity to rappel down the 16-storey Shenkman Residence at the Taggart Family Y in downtown Ottawa, all while raising a minimum of $1,000 for the YMCA- YWCA of the National Capital Region. Participants can enroll as an individual or as a team. Individuals must raise a minimum of $1,000, while teams can choose to raise $1,000 each, or they can raise the equivalent of $1,000 per person. For example, if there are 4 people on a team, the team is required to raise $4,000 in total. The event is facilitated by Canadian Rope Access Specialists (CRAS) East, a Canadian owned access rope operations and training company with offices in Vancouver, Ottawa, Calgary, and Halifax. Their dual certified SPRAT/IRATA technicians are highly trained and experienced, and all measures will be taken to ensure the safety and security of participants. Event Details When: Thursday, August 21, 2014 (rain date: Friday, August 22, 2014) Time: 8:30AM - 4:30PM; each participant is only required for approximately 1 hour. What: An exhilarating, heart-pounding rappel down the 16-story Shenkman Residence at the Taggart Family Y. Where: Taggart Family Y, 180 Argyle Ave, Ottawa Who: For participants 18+ years who are looking for a thrilling once in a lifetime experience. How: Anyone can earn the opportunity to participate in this event by raising a minimum of $1,000 for the Y. Why: To raise funds for your Y, a non-profit, charitable association dedicated to the health of individuals, families and our community. 2 YMCA-YWCA CLIFFHANGER Are you up for the challenge?
Frequently Asked Questions Is this safe? Is it legal? This event is 100% legal. We have taken all of the necessary steps to ensure that our safety certifications are in place. Our rigging supplier, Canadian Rope Access Specialists (CRAS) East, is a Canadian owned access rope operations and training company with offices in Vancouver, Ottawa, Calgary, and Halifax. Their dual certified SPRAT/IRATA technicians work across Canada and are qualified at all levels. Their technicians are highly trained and experienced, and all measures will be taken to ensure the safety and security of participants. What is the age minimum required to rappel? Can children participate? The age minimum to participate is 18 years old, so unfortunately children 17 and under cannot participate. This is due to the combined effect of a person s weight and the type of equipment that is used. Will there be training in advance? Yes you will be scheduled to arrive at a certain time on the day of the event in order to complete a training session before your rappel. Experts from CRAS East will work with you to ensure that you are completely comfortable with the equipment and understand how to use it and what to expect beforehand. Do I need to be in great shape to participate? Is rappelling very physically demanding? Not at all! No matter what your age or level of physical ability, you will be able to comfortably participate in the Y s Cliffhanger. The descent is not controlled by how strong you are, but rather by technique. How long will it take me to complete the rappel? Depending on how comfortable you are up there, your way down from top to bottom will take anywhere between 5-20 minutes. Do I really have to raise at least $1,000 to participate? Yes each participant is required to raise a minimum of $1,000, which can be collected from however many supporters you want. Donations over $10 made by your supporters are all tax receiptable. What happens if I sign up and then can t raise the $1,000? The Y is here to support your initiative and provide guidance in your fundraising efforts along the way. We will check in with you periodically after you sign up to see how your fundraising is going, and to provide motivation and tips to ensure that you reach your goal. If you are still not confident that you will be able to raise $1,000 by yourself, you can also recruit some team members to distribute the $1,000-per-person goal. If I am a part of a team, how does the fundraising responsibility change? How much do we have to raise? Everyone on the team must still raise a minimum of $1,000 OR as a team, you can collectively raise the equivalent of $1,000 per person. For example, on a team of four, each member must raise enough so that the team collectively raises $4,000 in total. 3 YMCA-YWCA CLIFFHANGER Are you up for the challenge?
Reasons to Rappel 1. To support your Y, a non-profit, charitable association dedicated to the health of individuals, families and our community. Your participation will help more people of all backgrounds, ages and abilities reach their potential and live engaging, more rewarding lives. 2. To enjoy the experience of a lifetime! 3. To receive a once-in-a-lifetime keepsake video and photo montage that will be produced of your experience that you can look back on forever. 4. To have the opportunity to win great prizes: Top Individual Fundraiser Top Fundraising Team Winner of our Y social media contest* *The Y will post everyone s souvenir videos on our YouTube channel after the event (with your permission). Each participant will be encouraged to share their video through their own social media networks. The video with most views on YouTube by a certain date will win our fantastic Grand Prize! Date deadline for the contest and Grand Prize details to be revealed at a later date. What are you waiting for? To register, head to ymcaywca.ca and sign up for what is sure to be the most knee-knocking, sweat-staining adrenaline rush of your life! With our online registration page, you can begin fundraising immediately by customizing your own personal fundraising webpage and sharing it with your network right away! We will contact you to discuss and schedule your training and rappelling time closer to the date of the event. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please contact: Melinda Hudson Manager, Corporate Sponsorship and Events YMCA-YWCA of the National Capital Region 613-237-1320 ext. 5156 melinda.hudson@ymcaywca.ca 4 YMCA-YWCA CLIFFHANGER Are you up for the challenge?
About the YMCA-YWCA of the National Capital Region For 147 years, the Y has been at the centre of our community; helping people of all backgrounds, ages and abilities live engaging, more rewarding lives. The Y is a non-profit, charitable association dedicated to the health of individuals, families and our community. The Y is accessible to all, serving approximately 67,000 people across the National Capital Region each year. The Y s programs and services address significant social and health issues tailored to local needs. We work to: Nurture the potential of children, teens and young adults; Promote healthy living and; Foster social responsibility. Our focus on inclusiveness and accessibility means we serve people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities through all stages of life. Through our financial assistance programs, the Y is accessible to all. 5 YMCA-YWCA CLIFFHANGER Are you up for the challenge?
YMCA-YWCA of the National Capital Region Corporate Offices 180 Argyle Avenue Ottawa, ON K1S 3T6 T: 613-237-1320 ymcaywca.ca Special thanks to: ymcaywca.ca