Voices of Courage challenges St. Joseph to step Over the Edge

By Kendra Simpson

Like stepping over the edge of a building; that’s the fear that children may face when reaching out for help from abuse or neglect. This is why Voices of Courage hosted Over the Edge 2024, allowing adults to experience a similar feeling.

Over the edge is an annual fundraiser for Voices of Courage child advocacy center. Each participant raises at least a thousand dollars to rappel down the 14-story Corby Place building. 

“The biggest take away is acknowledgement that services like ours are needed because children are being hurt in our community,” Voices of Courage Executive Director Melissa Birdsell said. “And we want to make sure that those services are in place for those people to get those services and we are happy to provide them.”

For most, stepping over the edge of the building is terrifying, but participants can take comfort knowing the ropes team, the harness and the rope itself will get them safely to the ground. These are the roles that Voices of Courage play for children.

“We wanted something that drew people’s attention but we also feels like it aligns with our missions, because it takes a lot of courage to get out there on that ledge and go over and step off and trust those people to take care of you and it’s the same thing with our services,” Birdsell said. “It takes courage to come forward and tell their story and trust us.”

Over the Edge sends all the funds raised straight back to Northwest Missouri and helps provide free services to children experiencing trauma or abuse. While the rappelling may be over, the mission is not. To donate to Voices of Courage or learn how to get involved, visit https://voicescac.org/.