Representatives from local charities left the Moorings Yacht and Country Club with an extra spring in their step, the recipients of funding awarded to them by board members of the Wheels & Keels Foundation of Vero Beach, raised during April’s Wheels & Keels Antique and Exotic Car and Boat Show and fundraising dinner the evening before.

“This is the most we’ve ever given out and it’s going to seven charities. We only had five in the past, but we added two great charities for us – Crossover Mission and Special Equestrians,” said board president Vince DeTurris. “We go after charities that touch the lives of children and adults who need it.”

Recipients included the Youth Sailing Foundation, a beneficiary since 2010, to support free sailing classes for children and summer sailing camps.

Funding for the Arc of Indian River County, a beneficiary since 2015, supports the employment of special needs individuals through the Arc Oyster Mat Project.

Vero Beach Rowing funding, a beneficiary since 2016, provides financial assistance to disadvantaged youth, and programs for recovering cancer patients and veterans.

The Navy SEAL Trident House Charities was also added in 2016, to support tranquil respite for SEALs and their families.

Lines in the Lagoon was added in 2019, to fund supplies for its annual youth fishing tournament, and to develop younger environmental stewards.

Of this year’s additions, Crossover Mission offers year-round basketball and one-to-one academic mentoring; and Special Equestrians of the Treasure Coast provides equine-assisted activities for special needs individuals.

“We’re always on the lookout for startup types of charities. That’s what we’ll be doing this summer. We will be searching for startup charities,” said DeTurris.

Gavin Ruotolo, Wheels & Keels CEO, said that they were distributing close to $160,000 this year, adding that additional funds may be allocated this fall. He noted that they have raised and distributed more than $500,000 to local charities since its inception.

“We are sponsored by the Moorings Yacht and Country Club. If it wasn’t for them, we couldn’t do this. We had 50 volunteers that Saturday; all Moorings residents,” said Ruotolo. “We’ve come a long way over the past 12 years.”

“We will have the next event May 14-15, 2023, the weekend after Easter. It’s already booked, and it’ll be here. We hope to be as successful then as we were this year,” said DeTurris. “The weather was great, the people were great, we maxed out with the dinner, and we maxed out with our cars. It was a great weekend. We were very, very fortunate.

Hopefully we get more like that.”

For more information, visit WKVero.com.

Photos by Kaila Jones