Paddle for a Purpose Raises Money For Good Neighbor Fund

CAPE MAY — Thirty-nine red, yellow, green, orange and blue kayaks, canoes and stand-up paddle boards dotted Cape May Harbor like bright jewels on Sat., June 19. On that day, the “Paddle for a Purpose Kayak and Canoe Regatta,” as part of Harbor Fest, raised $3,025 for the Nature Center of Cape May’s Good Neighbor Fund.
An anonymous donor to provide free tuition for summer children’s science classes to children from the nature center’s neighboring U.S. Coast Guard Base established the Good Neighbor Fund several years ago.
Sixty-eight paddlers participated in this year’s event, setting a new record for participation and funds raised. C. Martin Company, the TRACEN Chief’s Association and Aqua Trails Kayak Tours also generously sponsored the regatta.
Ocean Activist Margo Pellegrino, who has logged over 9,000 sea miles in canoes and kayaks to raise awareness of the importance of clean oceans, accompanied the group in her ocean outrigger canoe. Later this summer, the New Jersey mother of three will take on her biggest challenge yet – America’s Pacific coast.
She plans to paddle from Seattle to San Diego to educate the public about the crisis our oceans are facing and highlight what needs to be done to protect them.
“Paddle for a Purpose” is organized by the nature center and Aqua Trails Kayaks and takes place every year at Harbor Fest. BSA Venture Crew 1055 assisted on the day of the event. Paddlers take a leisurely two-hour tour of Cape May Harbor and the surrounding salt marsh.
For more information on the Good Neighbor Fund, contact the Nature Center of Cape May, at 609- 898-8848, or nccm@ njaudubon.org. You can also find the nature center on facebook, at NJ Audubon’s Nature Center of Cape May.