Forty bosses from around the community will be thrown off a bridge by their employees as a part of this year's Toss the Boss fundraiser for the Nanaimo Brain Injury Society.
Caught by a bungee cord, the employers stay safe and the employees get to have a little fun while contributing to the society's largest annual fundraiser.
"The bosses can expect a day full of energy, laughs and screams and fear, but also excitement and reward," said Kat Craats, marketing manager for WildPlay Element Parks. "We've had companies of all shapes and sizes come out in past years. Everything from RBC and their whole office team to Country Grocer and smaller teams. Everyone likes to see their boss get out of their comfort zone and get a little scared."
The event is expected to bring in a minimum of $40,000, minus event expenses, with each team raising a base $1,000 to qualify for the experience. The money raised will provides education, advocacy and services to serve individuals and families impacted by brain injury. Last year's event brought in over $55,000.
Kix Citton, NBIS executive director, said the event is a chance for team building.
"This is a very unique fundraiser and I think people really appreciate the event as a symbol of facing challenges together," she said. "It's symbolic of brain injury survivors and families that face incredible challenges every day trying to access services and supports, information [and] resources to not only survive a brain injury but thrive in life after brain injury."
In Nanaimo, the brain injury society estimates that one in 20 people are directly affected by an acquired brain injury, which includes concussions, strokes, or any other injury or illness that can happen in a person's lifetime that impacts their brain.
"There's a lot of talk right now [about] brain injury caused by the toxic drug crisis," Citton said. "These are things that have happened to the brain that then affects people's ability to maintain housing, maintain employment, maintain relationships. This is why these services, and programs and connections in the community are so important."
The NBIS refers to brain injury as "the silent epidemic" and the "orphan of the health-care system."
"It affects so many people in our communities and yet we don't see the services, support, the programs available and the resources. This is why we're fundraising because the demand is great, yet the funding for programs and services, especially for the community, just isn't keeping up with the demand," Citton said.
Toss the Boss takes place Friday, Oct. 4, from 2-6 p.m at WildPlay Nanaimo at 35 Nanaimo River Rd. Community members are welcome to attend.
As of this week, there were five spots left for teams to register. People can sign up or donate at http://tosstheboss.ca.
