Sky-Diving Perspectives, As Fundraiser Approaches
Last month Jeff Wick, the Record’s editor, expressed his point of view for the upcoming first annual Fayette County Habitat for Humanity Skydiving Fundraiser that will take place on April 17 at the Fayette County Fairgrounds so we decided to get some more point of views from the other jumpers.
The full list of jumpers include:
Mel Burgess
Julie Couch
Kenny Couch
Joe Johnson
Georgina Hudspeth
Melanie Ramirez
Ben Sustr
Craig Moreau
Marissa Meier
Devan Taylor
Dennis Tousek
Michael Schlabach
Jeff Wick
• Mel Burgess, Fayette County Habitat for Humanity’s Vice President, said, “Habitat For Humanity is a great service organization. I truly believe in our mission of ‘Not a handout but a hand up.’ We help those who may not be able to get a conventional home loan but dream of home ownership. This event is a fundraiser for our next project, which is going to be huge. All of us skydiving is raising a minimum of $750 each to further our mission, so let’s make some more families’ dreams come true.” Burgess added, “I decided to jump because I believe the work we do matters and if I can raise some funds to further that goal, I’m all for it.”
• Craig Moreau, Fayette County’s Emergency Management Coordinator, said, “This fundraising event brings attention to a great cause and this is not just another standard, mundane fundraiser. I’m hoping to greatly exceed the donation amount I’m close to $1,000 already and I have received a couple of pledges.” Moreau said he has never done anything like this but is always up for an adventure especially if it will help the community.
• Joe Johnson, who works at Farmers Lumber, said, “I very excited to jump, and nervous, because I have a healthy fear of heights. However, I’ve always wanted to skydive, and now I have the opportunity to dive and raise funds for a great cause, and my charity of choice.” Johnson added, “Sponsoring me would be a great way of saying ‘I support a better community’ Some people don’t have the time to personally commit to bettering our community and so they donate money, others don’t have the money and commit their time. Donating to me fulfills both, your money and my time.”
• Marissa Meier, Fayette County Habitat for Humanity’s Secretary, said, “I thought this fundraising event was seriously out there and you’d have to be crazy to do it..and then I said I would do it! I am excited and equally scared, the only thing I did similar to this was bungee jumped when I was 18, too young and dumb to be scared then. Now it forces you to take a personal inventory and gives you the opportunity to reflect on the meaningful things in your life.”
• Kenny Couch, Fayette County Habitat for Humanity’s Executive Director and the creator of this exciting event, said, “I’m absolutely terrified but didn’t feel it was right to ask others to participate if I wasn’t willing to do so myself. I think I could be officially described as a ‘begrudging participant’ I plan to be one of the first jumpers, so if you wake up to a high-pitched scream on April 17 I apologize ahead of time!”
Couch would also like the community to know that while this is a fun event, he does hope it gives participants a chance to look upon our community from a different perspective. “Habitat is a parachute for many struggling families across the country. Our organization is able to use decent, affordable housing as a catalyst for improvement in the lives of the families we serve and the communities they live in. Our partner families find better health, more financial freedom, independence, stability, and security that far too many families in our community simply cannot achieve without a helping hand. The need for safe, decent housing is immense,” Couch said.
Twenty jumpers are the goal and as of now five spots are still available and the final two spots will be raffled off. One will be raffled off at Hank’s Express and a second spot will be raffled at The UPS Store. Each chance is $10 and each spot will have 100 tickets. Donations can be made to anyone skydiving or directly to Fayette County Habitat For Humanity. Also, the person who raises the most money will be given a $100 gift card to Hank’s Express.
Contact Habitat for more information info@fayettecountyhabitat.org.