The Paddle4Peace initiative was recently founded by a small group of paddlers in order to raise money for the cause of global peace through competitive endurance paddling. Combining passions for global awareness and endurance paddle racing of all kinds, this group has banded together to make a difference in the world and bring awareness to the U.S. about issues in the Middle East.
Paddle4Peace founder Dwayne VanHoose is the newly appointed Director of Operations and Development for the internationally known Euphrates Institute, a non-profit dedicated to improving relations with the Middle East by working with moderates on both sides. Their goal is to inform people in the U.S., to inspire change, and to transform individuals into peace builders. Euphrates Institute founder Janessa Gans Wilder is also a long-time kayaker.
Hoping to up his do-gooder ante, VanHoose left his job in retail management and took up ranks with the Euphrates institute. Combining his 20-year paddling career and background in fund raising through endurance sports was, to him, the next obvious step toward making a difference in the world.
“Paddle4Peace is a fund raising effort, ultimately for the cause of peace,” explains VanHoose. “We are avid paddlers and committed endurance junkies. That said, our aim at Paddle4Peace is to raise funds and awareness for and about the Euphrates Institute through our exploits racing in some of the worlds longest ultra-marathon paddling events!”
VanHoose and his team of three are currently signed up to compete in the Volunteer 80 Canoe and Kayak Race in Tennessee, the La Ruta Maya in Belize, the Texas Water Safari, the MR340 in Missouri, and the North Carolina Challenge on the coast of North Carolina.
Fund raising efforts are set to include social media, industry and corporate sponsors, and web promotion. All proceeds raised will go to the Euphrates Institute. For more information on these do-gooder paddlers and their cause for global peace, to donate, and for more information on the Euphrates Institute, visit paddle4peace.com.
–Aaron Bible
