Special to the Journal
Cottage Park Yacht Club’s 32nd annual Regatta to benefit Make-A-Wish provides a chance for sailors of all ages to compete for a good cause and the whole community to contribute to a nonprofit that grants wishes for children suffering serious illnesses.
The three-day event, Friday, July 31 through Sunday, Aug. 2, provides funds for wishes that range from meeting a famous sports hero to a trip to Disneyland to building a backyard playscape to many others that spring from the mind of a child. What they all have in common is they shine a ray of hope at what is often a dark time in the lives of the children and their families.
The Summer Soiree starts the Make-A-Wish weekend at CPYC and is open to the community. It opens Friday evening at 6:30 p.m. and features an open bar, tastings from local restaurants and breweries, silent auctions and raffles, as well as live music from local favorites John Polino and the Second Hand Band.
CPYC has set a goal of raising $100,000 this year, adding to the $1 million it topped last year in its contributions over the years as a Make-A-Wish community partner. The nonprofit’s local chapter honored CPYC with its “Community Hero Award” last year, in recognition of the club’s efforts to help children suffering from cancer, cerebral palsy, leukemia and other serious illnesses.
Community members can help in ways big and small: donate and become an event sponsor, register your sailboat for the Saturday pursuit race at Regattaman.com, and attend the Friday night fundraising Soiree (July 31 6:30 p.m. at CPYC, open to the public). To buy Soiree tickets, donate to Make-A-Wish, or to see other details, check out CPYC’s Make-A-Wish website at makeawish.cpyc.org