Children’s Charity Pivots To Hurricane Response
As a speedonthewater.com reader, you probably know of Lucy Nicandri through her exceptional efforts as the former lead organizer of the Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix in Southwest Florida. Her work with the races dovetailed with her full-time job as the executive director of Suncoast Charities for Children, a position she still holds, and both entities benefitted greatly during her tenure with the races. Now the Sarasota contests are produced by Powerboat P1, and Nicandri also works freelance as the organization’s media and marketing officer.
Nicandri is hoping other offshore racing teams and marine industry businesses will follow 222 Offshore’s hurricane-relief lead. Photo from the 2023 Key West World Championships by Pete Boden copyright Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.
But beyond her day jobs, Nicandri is first and foremost a passionate Sarasotan. She’s lived there for most her adult. So when back-to-back hurricanes Helene and Milton hit the area hard last month, she started—after cleaning the broken glass off the floor of her second-story apartment—helping the community recover.
“We pivoted on an event that was planned for months called ROCKtoberfest, held October 5, by redirecting all donations toward Hurricane Helene relief efforts,” Nicandri explained. “That event raised $15,000 and was was supported by key community partners such as ABC-7, Benderson Development, iHeart Media, Aqua and SRQ Trolley. The event was a ‘pub-crawl’ in the University Town Center Shopping District and it was well received and attended.
“Then, we immediately got hit again by Hurricane Milton, so Suncoast Charities continues to take donations for hurricane relief efforts impacting the Sarasota and Manatee County area,” she added.
Nicandri was delighted by today’s announcement from the Australia-based, 2023 Class 1 World Champion 222 Offshore team. Coming to compete stateside for the first time this year at the Key West Offshore World Championships, the team has committed to donate a portion of its merchandise sales proceeds during the Key West event “to assist those hit the hardest in Sarasota in getting back on their feet,” according to a press release from the team.
Said Nicandri, “We hope other race teams and the boating community will join forces with 222 Offshore to raise additional funds for those in need.”
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Source: https://www.speedonthewater.com/childrens-charity-pivots-to-hurricane-response/
