When Oscar Casiro dips his paddle into the salty waters off Oak Bay on Sept. 6, it marks the end of a five-month campaign to take his standup paddleboard 750 kilometres in his 75th year.
That final trek intentionally coincides with the major annual fundraiser for his charity of choice – Paddle For Health to raise cash and awareness for the Island Kids Cancer Association.
As a retired pediatrician, he opted to support the Victoria-based non-profit that supports more than 200 families across Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands as they navigate the trials of childhood cancer.
Already nearing his goal of $22,000, Casiro crossed the 700k mark two weeks ahead of the Sept. 6 event at Willows Beach Park.
The Paddle for Health campaign to raise $20,000 also neared its goal well ahead of the event, hitting $14,000 as of Aug. 21. The Elbows SUP! Cadboro Bay Paddlers team was in the lead as fundraisers with over $5,000 raised.
Paddlers – whether on SUP boards, kayaks or other safe vessels – should arrive by 8:30 a.m. for the Sept. 6 event at Willows Beach.
The flock of paddlers leaves Oak Bay by 9:45 a.m. under the watchful eyes of an on-water safety crew, then will follow the shoreline past Cattle Point, into Caddy Bay and on to Gyro Park Beach. There, the group stops for a 15-minute stretch and snack before returning to Willows Beach for 12:30 p.m. After the paddle, participants enjoy sustenance from Deadbeetz Burger alongside prizes, games and awards for things such as best costumed team and top fundraisers.
Registration is a voluntary $50 donation while $100 earns participants a T-shirt.
Learn more or register at paddleforhealth.ca and the charity at ikca.ca. Find Casiro’s fundraising page online at shorturl.at/0qu9F.
