The Hudson River Watertrail Association is set to host the third annual Paddle for a Cure Sunday at Annsville Creek Paddle Sport Center. After two seasons paddling south the group is taking advantage of the northern current and will paddle 11 miles to Dockside in Cold Spring. The group will help raise funds for the Yorktown-based Support Connection, a breast and ovarian cancer support organization.
"Just about everybody knows someone with breast cancer," said HRWA President Peggy Navarre. "It is a disease that really hits close to home and this year we really wanted to make sure donations were going toward a group that was closer to home and we've found that in Support Connection."
Navarre said it was important to help as many local people as she could.
"My mother is a survivor of breast cancer and I know how important it is to get that support from the local community," she said. "If we were giving these donations to (a national organization), it would probably be a spit in the bucket. By giving to Support Connection, they're going to be able to run a few more programs and all of that money is going to stay local to help our neighbors."
Fishkill resident Gary Archer has paddled with the group since it began.
"I'm a kayaker and it really is a tremendous event for kayakers. Usually you see 5K runs or walks and that's great but you rarely see an event like this on the water and it's going toward a great cause," he said. "I've also had family members die from cancer and this is a cause close to my heart and anything we can do to help cure this terrible disease would be a step in the right direction."
Those interested in donating to or paddling with the Paddle for the Cure are asked to go to the group's website.
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