Fruit Valley — The Paddle for Life Dragon Boat Festival raised more than $20,000 for the Vancouver Lake Disabled Veterans Program.
This was the third year of the festival, which was held Memorial Day weekend at Vancouver Lake. In three years, the festival has raised more than $40,000 for the program, specifically the Vancouver Lake Aquatics Center to buy adaptive equipment for disabled veterans and to make critical infrastructure repairs.
The two-day racing event featured 19 clubs from Portland and Vancouver, as well as some unusual contests.
“We raised $600 selling four pictures of a dragon drawn in crayon while (artists were) blindfolded and sitting in the grass,” event organizer Jeff Campbell said in a release. “The winner got a $10 gift card and was thrilled.”
