AJ Stelacio

Stepping off the edge of an airplane and hurtling toward the ground at up to 200 km per hour takes courage. Following weeks of planning and fundraising, 23 brave participants prepared to take the leap to help children struggling with cancer. On Aug. 22, the first annual Jump for the Cure raised $8,500 for the Michael Cuccione Foundation, a cancer research organization.  The event was the brainchild of A.J. Stelacio, a sales rep of Sutton Group – Premier Realty in Surrey, B.C. Since his 18th birthday, Stelacio has taken these pulse-quickening dives 780 times. 

“People often say to me that they want to skydive but they rarely commit to it. One day about three months ago, I was having a drink with Heather Armitage, the president of Active First Aid. We wanted to help sick children and a skydiving event was a natural choice,” says Stelacilo. “When a person signed up, they committed to collecting a minimum of $200.  The top fundraiser won their choice of a five-day cruise in Mexico or the Bahamas.” 

Low cloud at 4,000 feet made tandem jumps impossible for many participants, most of whom rescheduled their jumps. Stelacio and friends demonstrated advanced level “hop and pop” jumps for the crowd. In addition to attracting 23 skydivers, another 60 people came to cheer them on from an airport hanger and enjoy a barbecue dinner followed by live music.