Paddling For Josh

Two men, 120 miles, 15 hours, 50,000 spectators, and one amazing overnight canoe marathon. The Weyerhaeuser Au Sable River Canoe Marathon is the longest non-stop canoe race in North America. The canoe race begins in Grayling, Michigan and finishes where the Au Sable River meets Lake Huron in Oscoda. Best of all, this endurance challenge is the only overnight canoe race in North America!!! The Au Sable Canoe Marathon is the richest canoe race in North America with a prize pool of over $50,000.

KIALOA is proud to help sponsor Brandon Gerardy and Stephen Leppard in their race next summer. Both Brandon and Stephen are in the field of physical therapy with an emphasis in sport performance enhancement. Here is a bit more info from Brandon about their inspiration for this race.

"Stephen and I are undertaking this race not only as a personal challenge, but also to raise money for Josh LeJarett. Josh is 17 year old patient who we have treated in our Kalamazoo (Michigan) physical therapy clinic for 5 years for a diagnosis of cerebral palsy. Stephen has been Josh's physical therapist for the past five years and I has worked with Josh on and off for the past five years. Josh is wheelchair bound having only voluntary control of his left upper extremity. He is able to drive his wheelchair with a left hand joystick, but is unable to transfer, dress, toilet, and shower independently. With his mental capacity intact, Josh plans to attend college next fall to pursue a degree in computer programming. However, aside from the typical challenges of paying for his own tuition, living expenses, and textbooks, Josh will also need daily assistance with transferring, dressing, toileting, and showering. Stephen and I hope to make this already difficult transition to college a little easier by raising money to help pay for caregivers. We plan to raise money in a Paddling For Josh program by accepting pledges for each mile we paddle. By paddling 120 miles, we will not only be demonstrating a healthy lifestyle but also paddling for a good cause!"

They are continuing to look for sponsorships. If you are so inspired please contact Brandon at solsticecanoeing@winning.com