She got to jump off the side of a building, and raise money for a good cause - what could be better than that?Stephanie Serblowski of Bruno, 19, dressed in full Wonder Woman costume, was one of the 45 superheroes who rappelled down Carlton Tower in Saskatoon as part of the Easter Seals Drop Zone event in Saskatoon on September 2.The drop capped off a whirlwind week for the Commerce student who spent the summer working at the Bruno Credit Union. Serblowski signed up for the jump just eight days before, and in between, raised over $1,500 for Camp Easter Seal.Serblowski ran across the Easter Seals Drop Zone event while doing some online research."I saw the Drop Zone link and thought I had to do it," she told the Journal in an interview Sept. 3.She researched the event a little further, and set out to find out if anyone she knew had ever attended Camp Easter Seal, a camp for children with disabilities.She discovered that the children of friends and even one of her relatives had attended the camp, and had fantastic things to say about it."The kids are so appreciative of it," Serblowski said. "They're amazing people."The camp offers children with disabilities the opportunity to do things that others take for granted; things as simple as sitting around a campfire, roasting marshmallows.After discovering all of this, Serblowski was set on her course."It's a great cause. I have to do it," is what ran through her mind, she said. She signed up to do the rappel online on August 25, and by September 2, the day of the jump, had put together $1,530 for Camp Easter Seals."My first deposit was $800," she grinned.During her lunch hour and after work, Serblowski canvassed businesses and residences in Bruno, and even a few farms outside of town, knocking on doors and asking people to make donations. Because she had just a week before the jump, Serblowski had no package of information to share with those she talked to, just an pledge form she got online. But once she explained the cause and why she was doing this, people opened up their wallets for her.That's the beauty of life in a small town, she agreed - people knew her from when she was growing up, and more recently, from working at the credit union, and they trusted her.Most people thought she was a little crazy, she laughed, first for trying to raise $1,500 in one week, and second for doing it so she could jump off a building."They didn't quite understand," she laughed.But they did give her the inspiration for an alter ego.Those who sign up for the Drop Zone event are called Super Heroes, and when Serblowski explained that to the people of Bruno, they suggested she go as Wonder Woman, because of her long, dark hair and big eyes."So I had to get a costume," she said. She rented a costume from Cudworth, and had a special t-shirt with a Wonder Woman insignia on it made right in Bruno.Then on the day of her rappel, with $1,500 in the pocket of her Wonder Woman costume, Serblowski paid a visit to many of those who had contributed to her cause. "I went around and thanked the sponsors... and showed them my costume," she smiled.She also visited the school and the little girl to whom she'd dedicated her jump.Alanna Giesbrecht is a Grade 4 student at Bruno School who lives with muscular dystrophy.When Serblowski learned she could dedicate her jump to someone, "I thought it should go to someone special," she said and chose Giesbrecht.The two had attended Bruno School at the same time, and Serblowski noticed Giesbrecht's positive attitude."She was so determined... such a wonderful little girl," she said. "She's in a wheelchair, but it doesn't faze her. She's got a smile on her face."After getting some photos with Giesbrecht while in her costume, Serblowski visited some of the other classrooms."Some kids thought I actually was Wonder Woman," she laughed. She then explained to the children about Camp Easter Seal and why she was doing this, so that "kids with disabilities can go to camp."They were pretty excited, she added, that she was going to be jumping off a building.Later that morning, Serblowski and her parents headed to Saskatoon, and Carlton Tower, a 22-storey-high building, where she would be doing her rappel."My only disappointment was I wasn't as scared as I thought I would be," she said of the experience. Even at the top of the building, she wasn't shaky, she said. Before going up onto the building, the Super Heroes registered, turned in the last of their pledges, took some fun pictures together, then got harnessed up and got a lesson in rappelling down a building."We did some training and a quick jump," Serblowski said. Then they entered Carlton Tower, got in the elevator, and went up 22 floors.Serblowski jumped alone, and when it was her turn, she was strapped up, and backed up to the edge of the tower."My heels were literally on the edge of the building," she grinned.That was the only time she got a little nervous, she noted.Then she was told to lean back, and the only thing keeping her from plummeting to the ground was a rope. But that clearly didn't scare her."It was so exciting!" she said.The professionals helping with the rappelling were really helpful, she noted, talking her through the whole thing, and guiding her through the first little jump, over a ledge on the building."It was pretty fun," Serblowski said of that small jump.It took about five minutes for her to rappel her way down the building."I would have loved to do it in 20 seconds," she said, just sliding straight down. "But I wanted to take it in. You only get to do it once."The only time she got a little nervous on the descent was when she did something she'd promised herself she was going to do.She pushed herself away from the building, and did a spin - a 360-degree turn - then came back to the building."I got kind of scared... but I planned it... and I was really happy I did it. I gave me some adrenaline."At the bottom, she had her photo snapped with a sign that read, "I did it!"The entire experience was "amazing," Serblowski said, and she hopes to do it again next year."I have to. I want to try some more crazy tricks on the rope... and it's such a great cause," she laughed, admitting that she is a bit of an adrenaline junkie.Though Serblowski didn't raise the most money of the Super Heroes - the top fund-raiser had more than $10,000 in her pocket - she likely raised her $1,500 the fastest.Now, she has a whole year to gather more for another jump, another crack at being Wonder Woman.As it was, she wasn't eager to get out of her Wonder Woman costume. She even wore it to the after party."I only got to be a super hero for one day. I thought I might as well make it count," she grinned.
