One of Durham College's dragon boat teams paddles to the finish line in the fourth annual Dragon Flies Dragon Boat Festival in Port Perry. The event raised over $137,000 for cancer research.
Durham College faculty, staff, students and their families dug their paddles deep in the fight against cancer, at the fourth annual Dragon Flies Dragon Boat Festival held on June 21 in Port Perry.
Two teams, made up of almost 40 paddlers, represented the college at the annual races held at Lake Scugog to support breast cancer awareness programs and early diagnosis and treatment.
In total, more than $137,000 was raised, with more than $2,000 combined coming from the School of Justice team, managed by Rick Kerr, and the Durham College - Success Matters team, captained by Kathy Phillips and managed by Denise Johnston.
In addition to raising funds for cancer research, the Durham College teams provided some excitement to the event, with the School of Justice team bringing home a gold medal in the Mixed Team: Under-30 Years of Age division and the Success Matters team finishing fourth overall in the Mixed Team: 30-39 Years of Age division.
"It was a very memorable experience for all involved, and it raised money for a very worthwhile cause," said Kerr. "That gold medal with the pink ribbon looked terrific around everyone's neck!"
Johnston was equally pleased with her team's performance.
"Placing fourth out of nine teams was not bad for a team consisting of mostly new paddlers who had only two practices before hitting the water," she said. "Only five out of our 20 paddlers were on the team last year. All in all, a great day was had by everyone!"
While the weather did not fully co-operate, the event went ahead as planned, with more than 1,300 paddlers on 52 teams participating in the races and numerous tributes. Each of the four participating breast cancer survivor teams released white doves in memory of members who lost their lives to the disease. Pink carnations were also tossed in the water by the paddlers, supporters, family and friends as a tribute to those who have lost the battle against breast cancer, those currently undergoing treatment and those who have survived the disease.