American Red Cross donates equipment to assist returning veterans through kayaking therapy

Program participants set to launch kayaks on Canandaigua Lake this Tuesday

CANANDAIGUA, N.Y., June 27, 2011—One resource that is plentiful in upstate New York is water. The American Red Cross of the Finger Lakes Region, headquartered in Rochester NY, decided to take advantage of this abundance of fresh water in our area to assist veterans with physical therapy and rehabilitation needs.

As part of its Service to Armed Forces program, the American Red Cross applied for and received a grant from the National American Red Cross to fund the purchase of nine kayaks, paddles, and personal flotation devices for use at the Canandaigua VA Medical Center’s Recreation Therapy Department.

Program participants will be launching kayaks in the first Canandaigua Lake expedition tomorrow, Tuesday, June 28 at 2:00 p.m. Members of the media are invited to join us at Canandaigua Sailboarding, 11 Lakeshore Drive on the north end of Canandaigua Lake.

“We thought it was a great, creative way to give veterans an opportunity to exercise and get out on the lake,” said Leighton Jones, Director of the Service to Armed Forces program of the Red Cross. The Canandaigua VA worked with Canandaigua Sailboarding to purchase the equipment at cost. Until now, the kayaks have been tested at the Canandaigua YMCA in preparation for tomorrow’s lake launch.

“Kayaking provides a plethora of benefits,” said Hank Riegel, Recreation Therapy Supervisor at the Canandaigua VA Medical Center. “The experience is highly personal. Kayaking allows an individual of all different skill levels to enjoy wildlife, increase upper body strength, and develop self-confidence, all while experiencing a very physically and mentally therapeutic form of recreation.”

This event is weather dependent, so for more information or to check weather conditions, please contact Erin Caldwell at 585-370-1834 or Daniel Ryan at 585-393-7209.

About the American Red Cross
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization—not a government agency—and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit rochesterredcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.