At 80 years old, Battle Ground resident Shirley Romig has found a way to combine an adrenaline rush with a cause close to her heart.
Romig completed her eighth skydive since turning 70 years old, her second consecutive jump as part of a fundraising effort for Shared Hope International, a Vancouver-based organization working to combat child sex trafficking, on Sunday, Aug. 30.
For Romig, the jump is about more than stepping out of an airplane. It is a way to bring attention to an issue she believes too many people overlook.
Romig first went skydiving at age 70 with her daughter, shortly after the death of her husband. Her daughter had always wanted to skydive, and Romig decided it was something she wanted to experience, too.
“I just keep living and doing things that I wanted to do,” Romig said of how she enjoys her senior years.
Since then, skydiving has become a recurring part of her life. Her daughter and all three of her granddaughters have also skydived with her.
“We're adventurous ladies, I guess,” Romig said.
This year's jump marked her second fundraiser for Shared Hope International. In preparation, Romig spent time selling raffle tickets for a quilt and talking with people throughout the community about the organization.
Those conversations became one of the most meaningful parts of the fundraiser for Romig.
“I was selling drawing tickets for a quilt to raise funds for Shared Hope International, and that's where I met people in this community,” Romig said. “I had information that I could hand out about Shared Hope, and several people opened up to me that live here, and what they're dealing with right now.”
Romig said hearing those stories was emotional, but they also reinforced why she continues to participate in her now annual “Jump For Justice.”
“I wish people in this community would wake up and pay attention because these people shouldn't have to be dealing with this kind of stuff,” she said. “It's heart wrenching when you hear their story.”
Shared Hope International works through prevention, restoration and justice, according to Lilli Seale, who spoke about the organization and Romig's fundraising efforts.
The organization was founded in 1998, initially working internationally before shifting much of its focus to the United States in the early 2000s. Its work includes policy and legislative reform, professional training, research and partnerships providing resources to trafficking survivors.
Seale said community members such as Romig can help reach people in ways an organization cannot do alone.
“There's really only so much we can do on our own,” Seale said. “But when people from a community want to step up and make a difference on their own, it is making a deeper impact than we ever can.”
Romig's fundraising efforts this year were expected to bring in between $4,000 and $5,000, with funds supporting Shared Hope's broader work, including its Keep Our Kids Safe initiative, which focuses on increasing training for professionals nationwide.
Seale said Romig has also helped spread awareness beyond the fundraiser itself, visiting local businesses and talking with community members.
“Shirley's been everywhere,” Seale said. “Just the connections that she's made throughout this fundraising is remarkable, really. And it's a true testament to the power of communities.”
For Romig, the message is simple: People do not have to skydive to make a difference.
“Some of them say, ‘I could never do that,’” Romig said. “I said, ‘Well, then find something that you could do.’”
The experience of skydiving itself remains part of the appeal for the 80-year-old adrenaline junkie. Romig described the seven- to 10-second free fall as an “adrenaline rush” before the parachute opens and provides views of the Willamette Valley and Cascade Mountains.
But ultimately, she said, the cause keeps bringing her back.
“Because I'm making a difference for Shared Hope,” Romig said. “And that's what keeps me doing it. Plus, I like it.”
Romig is already planning her next jump. She said eight people have committed to participate next year, with the goal of filling two planes.
“Next year will be my ninth (jump),” she said.
