(Long Island, NY) Organizers from the East End Tourism Alliance’s (EETA) largest fundraising event, Paddle Battle LI will present checks to the recipients of the benefit on Friday, September 18th at 12:00 pm. They will meet along the boardwalk on the Peconic River, behind the Long Island Aquarium, in Riverhead. Representatives from the United Way’s Vet Build Program and the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation will be on hand to accept these contributions.
The Third Annual Paddle Battle LI event was held on July 18th on the Peconic River in Riverhead and had nearly 200 participants, including nine, four person teams assembled for the first annual Paddle Battle Corporate Challenge. The family-friendly events included a 2.5-mile amateur race, a 5-mile competitive race, and a 12-mile elite class race. There were also pairs of two-person canoe and kayaks races. First Place medals were offered to winners in each category, for each class and distance. Bryan DeLuca, EETA’s President and the event organizer, stated “We are thrilled with the success of this year’s race and look forward to getting more individual racers and Long Island corporate team sponsors in next year’s race.”
More than $25,000 was collected to benefit these organizations. The United Way’s Vet Build Program, helps support local vets and their families with a hands-on job training program for Veterans in the Green Construction industry. The Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation will use their award to assist themin their effort to rescue, rehabilitate, and release seals, sea turtles, whales, dolphins, and porpoises.
About United Way’s Vets Build Program
VetsBuild is a signature program of the United Way of Long Island that supports veterans and military families. United Way of Long Island defines a military family as a household with at least one member who is currently, or was previously, a member of the Armed Forces of the United States. The initiative was established in 2011 and was previously named the Military Family Assistance Initiative. In 2015, the name was changed to VetsBuild to show United Way of Long Island’s commitment to changing lives and building futures.
VetsBuild incorporates a five-star approach to supporting veterans. The program has five major service points that work together to build a solid foundation upon which a fulfilling and stable life can be built. All services are free of charge. Visit www.vetshelpli.org for further details.
About the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation
The Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation is a 501 (c) (3) not for profit organization that operates the New York State Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Rescue Program.The primary mission of the Riverhead Foundation is to preserve and protect our marine environment through education, rehabilitation and research. To learn more about the Foundation and how you can help, visit www.riverheadfoundation.org.
About The East End Tourism Alliance
The East End Tourism Alliance (EETA) was formed in 2008 as a non-profit membership corporation under the laws of New York. Its purpose is the promotion of the East End region as a travel destination for visitors, meetings, weddings, seasonal vacations, also day trip and overnight stays. The organization designs, develops and operates Eastendgetaway.com website which provides a seamless planning tool for visitors and will allow participating members to promote their business on a regional travel site. EETA is designed to support extension of the tourism shoulder seasons throughout the region to ultimately foster economic growth.
