By Whitney Downard
Contributing Writer
Do you want to help break a Guinness World Record and raise money for charity?
Tomorrow, Headstands for Humanity will attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the most people doing a headstand simultaneously. The current record is 399 simultaneous headstands in Wevelgem, Belgium, back in 2006. The event will begin at noon, with registration starting at 11 a.m. at the Holiday Valley Resort in Ellicottville.
In preparation for this event and to encourage students to participate, the Richter Center hosted a “Head Stand Clinic” last Saturday.
Saturday’s event is sponsored by Headstands for Humanity, a growing community that encourages people to appreciate the world around them and to live happy, healthy lives.
Headstands for Humanity began earlier this year, when founder Mike Paterniti posted a photo of himself doing a headstand on Facebook. After receiving positive feedback from his friends and family, Paterniti decided to incorporate his son in another headstand pose – with his son playfully ‘karate punching’ him.
The simple act of a headstand was so spiritually uplifting for Paterniti that he decided to create a 30-day challenge for himself, letting friends and family suggest creative poses on his Facebook page. When the page surged in popularity, Paterniti decided to extend the challenge beyond its 30-day limit, and thus ‘The Headstand Movement,’ as Paterniti calls it, was born.
This year, Headstands for Humanity is currently applying for its own nonprofit license. By using the “positive power of headstands,” Headstands for Humanity hopes to “inspire all humanity to live life fully – by spreading love, joy, happiness and good health,” as stated in its vision online.
Headstands for Humanity relies heavily on its online presence and encourages participants to submit their unique headstands to its website, headstandsforhumanity.com.
While the group promotes healthy living and happiness, its efforts are also spent on charity events, such as the Guinness World Record attempt on Saturday, that “promote activities that are unique, fun, interactive and challenging for underserved and special needs youth,” according to the organization’s website.
Proceeds from Saturday’s event will be split between the Lounsbury Adaptive Ski/Board program at Holiday Valley, a program that teaches mentally and physically challenged people to ski, and the Ellicottville-Great Valley Trail, a fund created to benefit children using the trail.
Registration for the event is $10, but members are encouraged to fill out pledge sheets, which are available at the Richter Center and on the website, with additional donations.
So grab a few friends and be sure to head out to Holiday Valley Resort for this Saturday’s attempt at breaking the Guinness World Record.
