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| Kara's nickname is Squirrely so she will be a Flying Squirrel when she participates in her skydive |
Skydiving with a message- Kara Shirley is going to great heights
to call attention to rape.
Two miles high, to be exact.
Shirley, an assistant professor of neuropsychiatric pharmacy practice at Albany College of Pharmacy, is making her first-ever skydive on April 29 to support Operation Freefall.
The event, which is expected to attract 2,000 leapers nationwide, raises money for two non-profit groups, Speaking Out About Rape and the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network. It began in 2001 when a woman who had been raped marked the anniversary of her attack with a jump.
"Everybody's committed to the cause, or you wouldn't be jumping and hurling yourself out of an aircraft," Shirley said.
She's always wanted to jump -- to get over a fear of heights, she said.
She's also hoping her jump encourages rape victims to get over their fear of blowing the whistle on their abusers.
At the Veterans Administration hospital, she works with patients who suffer from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, both common to victims of sexual assault. But too many people don't seek the help they need because they are ashamed.
Shirley said she tried to convince her colleagues to jump, but they resisted. "It's probably not an intuitive thing," she said of skydiving. Then again, she said, "it's actually safer than downhill skiing."
Uh huh. Sure.
So far, she's raised $675 toward her $1,500 goal. For more information about Shirley's jump, visit her Web site at http://www.firstgiving.com/squirrely.
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