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Paddle for Parkinson's

This is an event that C. Don Filer Agency has been supporting since its inception. For the first two years, it started out smaller but was still wonderful in supporting Parkinson Disease research. Now, in its new and improved “inaugural year,” Paddle for Parkinson’s is bigger and better than ever. It has grown to two locations, benefits the local chapter of the American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA), and invites competitive and non-competitive kayakers from across the region to participate.

What is Paddle for Parkinson’s?

Paddle for Parkinson’s is the growing event of one of our employees here at Filer Insurance. Sandi Ruedt and her friend Dwight Jones, manager at Elliott Bay Marina, came up with the idea of Paddle for Parkinson’s after realizing that both of their families have been affected by Parkinson Disease. It started as just a fun way to get people out on the water and bring awareness to Parkinson’s, but now Sandi and Dwight want people paddling for a purpose.

There’s a 4 Mile Race which is more competitive and a 1 Mile Fun Paddle. “Everyone paddles anyway, why not do it for a cause?” Sandi asks. People run, walk and ride bikes for causes every day. Not many people can say they paddled for something. Sandi wants this event to be big for Parkinson’s research and awareness. “We want it to grow and we want people come back and get in the water for this cause. We want racers to come out and race in Seattle and Tacoma.”

Why is Filer Insurance participating?

As part of this community, and the Pacific Northwest as a whole, we want to make sure we are supporting the people and the organizations that support us. It has always been our goal to support local and national causes like Paddle for Parkinson’s. We are participating to help Sandi’s and Dwight’s families and to help the families, friends, and individuals all affected by this disease. Sandi wants people to know that “a cure for this disease is attainable, it’s within reach. We want to share that with people and encourage them to continue supporting research.” And our agency is going to help Sandi, the APDA, and everyone impacted by Parkinson’s reach that goal.

In addition to participating in this event, we are also going to be supporting Paddle for Parkinson's as our designated charity for the month of July. For every referral you send us, we will make a donation to Paddle for Parkinson's to help fund their event and support the APDA. Check out our referral program for more information.

When are the races?

The races are held on July 26th at Elliott Bay Marina in Seattle and Dock Street Marina in Tacoma.

The 4 Mile Race begins at 9:15 a.m. and the 1 Mile Fun Paddle begins at 11:00 a.m.

Check-in for the races begins one hour before the posted race time.

Lunch will be provided for all participants and donors at 12:00 p.m.

We’ll be at the Elliott Bay Marina that day, but you can also join the race in Tacoma. Did we mention there are prizes for the top three finishers for each category at each location?

If you can’t make the event but still want to participate, or if you don’t want to be on the water, you can go to their website to make a donation. For more information, visit paddle4pd.com and follow their Facebook page.