VERO BEACH — About 30 paddlers took off from McWilliams Park in Vero Beach Saturday, enjoying a picture perfect day on the beautiful Indian River Lagoon, while at the same time raising money for local children’s charities at the inaugural Charity Poker Paddle, hosted by the Rotary Club of Vero Beach Oceanside,.
Since participants in the family-friendly event were not judged on speed, the event drew kayakers, paddle boarders and canoers of all ages and skill levels. Some, chose to simply glide along on a two-mile guided nature tour, but most also participated in the five-card stud poker game, picking up playing cards along the way at five boat checkpoints.
Either way, the proceeds from the spectacular day on the water would be split equally between Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Florida Outdoor Center, Gifford Youth Activity Center, Gifford Youth Orchestra, Hibiscus Children’s Center and Youth Guidance.
“It all started about three years ago,” said Rotary Club member Tammy Adams. “Rotary members wanted to put together a kayak run. We decided we would ask members to give names of charities they wanted to fund. We had 27 charities picked by our 24 members.”
After going through the list, Adams said they opted to assist some of the charities through service projects and others through fundraising efforts.
“Rotary International has six areas of focus,” explained Adams. “We wanted to focus on children’s charities this time.”
Each of the beneficiary charities provided several volunteers to augment Rotary helpers, with most manning the sponsored checkpoint boats.
“We tried to make it interesting and fun for the charities; to get them excited about it,” said Adams.
Local businesses supported the effort through gift certificates for the goodie-bags, including certificates for a 30-minute massage donated by Marks at the Pointe – something a few of the kayak newbies were looking forward to.
Kristen and Mike Beck, directors of the nonprofit Florida Outdoor Center, provided kayaks to all who needed them, and mapped out the route. They also brought their “big canoe” – a biggie indeed at 24-feet.
“It gives us the opportunity to take anybody out on it,” explained Mike Beck. “We can take 10 adults or about 15 kids. We’ve even removed some of the seats and put somebody in with a wheelchair.”
“Some of the people who are out have never kayaked before,” added Adams. “Some of the people in the big canoe have never even been on the water before.”
“That’s what we try to do; get people out there to enjoy nature,” said Beck. “We’re an educational nonprofit, trying to get people back to the outdoors. We mainly focus on kids, but we also work with senior citizens. With seniors, we bring the great outdoors to them through videos and pictures.”
The Sebastian based Florida Outdoor Center also runs week-long summer camps for children, to help them commune with nature through kayaking, swimming, fishing, hiking, birding and other outdoor activities. Events such as the Charity Poker Paddle helps to fund scholarships to the camp, and they hope to raise enough to eventually host after school programs again.
“It was fun; just being out there was wonderful,” said first time kayaker Debbie Martella, joined by husband Jerry. “We always wanted to do it and never had. It was very nice, and of course it was for charity.”
“This was my first river experience; it was a lot of fun,” said Carol Cooney, who rode in the big canoe. “It was very interesting; I loved it.”
As playing cards were turned in, three judges determined the best poker hands, awarding cash prizes of $150, $100 and $50 to first, second and third place winners David Urena, Anne Rice and Michael Lunney.