Ohio River Way ‘Paddlefest’ to Feature Pink Canoe to Promote Breast Cancer
Awareness
Kenticky’s Ohio River Way will host its fourth annual “Paddlefest” on
the Ohio River July 8-9, 2005. Thaxton’s Southfork Canoe, in cooperation
with Paddlesports International, will donate their 28 foot Voyager Canoe
which will be painted pink and hold up to 16 breast cancer survivors and
patients who will journey 6 miles down the Ohio River on July 9.

Butler, KY (PRWEB) February 28, 2005 -- Kenticky’s Ohio River Way will
host its fourth annual “Paddlefest” on the Ohio River July 8-9,
2005. Thaxton’s Southfork Canoe, in cooperation with Paddlesports
International, will donate their 28 foot Voyager Canoe which will be
painted pink and hold up to 16 breast cancer survivors and patients who
will journey 6 miles down the Ohio River on July 9.

This is the fourth consecutive year for this event that draws more than
1000 paddlers from across the nation for a six mile float down the Ohio
River and ends at the Serpentine Wall.

Thaxton’s Operations Manager, Julie Heenan, was diagnosed with breast
cancer. Julie wants to help bring breast cancer awareness to other young
active women and has proposed that the Voyageur Canoe be painted pink and
be paddled by up to 14 breast cancer survivors. Participants will be
requested to help staff a booth at Paddlefest to distribute literature.

Ms. Heenan is seeking sponsorship funds to cover the cost of the booth and
painting the canoe pink and then returning the canoe back to its replica
colors. The sponsor will be requested to provide Breast Cancer awareness
literature, booth banners and a flag to be mounted on the stern of the
canoe for the float down river. The sponsor will also have their name on
booth sides of the canoe.

All proceeds above the hard costs of painting and transporting the 28 foot
canoe and the printing of the t-shirts and project booklet will be
distributed equally among the breast cancer survivor participants to be
donated to the non-profit cancer education, research or support
organization of their choice.

The mission of the paddlers and sponsors is to promote breast cancer
awareness to women active in outdoor recreation, to stress the importance
of mammograms, to show the importance of exercise as an important aspect
of healing, and to provide support to all breast cancer survivors and
patients, as well as their families and friends, in each patient’s journey
with Breast Cancer.

For more information on sponsorship of the pink Voyager Canoe contact
Brewster Rhoads, Chair of the Ohio River Way Paddlefest at e-mail
protected from spam bots or call 513-232-9015 or contact Jim Thaxton at
869-472-2202.

Additional information about the Paddlesports International event is
available online at www.gopaddle.com.