Beatty Regatta raises more than $31,000 for Niagara Hospice

Lewiston Porter Sentinel, December 13, 2008

Members of the Jack Beatty Hospice Memorial Regatta committee present a donation to Niagara Hospice President and CEO John Lomeo. Pictured left to right are: Joanne Beatty, Katie Beatty, Adam Burns, Paul Beatty Sr., Lomeo, Paul Beatty Jr., Paul Beatty III, Lindsay Beatty and Jerry Williams.

Members of the Jack Beatty Hospice Memorial Regatta committee recently presented Niagara Hospice with the proceeds from the Niagara River Boat Cruise and Clambake. The annual event, dedicated in memory of Jack Beatty, is held each August at the Youngstown Yacht Club. Over the past nine years, it has become the largest independent fundraiser for Niagara Hospice, raising more than $180,000.

"We are fortunate to have the Beatty family and their many friends on our team," said Niagara Hospice president and CEO John Lomeo. "Each year they hold this event, they somehow make it better than the previous year. Their dedication and advocacy for hospice care in our community is a wonderful tribute to Jack's memory."

This year, hundreds of guests enjoyed great music by Soul Committee, a delicious barbecue dinner and steamed clams. As always, there was a smorgasbord of silent auction gifts and basket items for guests to win. Major sponsors of this year's event included Jerry and Kim Williams of Lewiston, the Youngstown Yacht Club, Sevenson Environmental Services/the Elia family, the Seneca Niagara Casino, the Joy Family Foundation and West Marine.

Niagara Hospice reports the 2009 sailboat race will take place in July out of the Youngstown Yacht Club into Lake Ontario. All sailors are welcome to compete and earn the chance to represent the northern Niagara community at the National Hospice Regatta in May of 2010 in Annapolis, Md. Additional details and notice-of-race information will be posted on the Youngstown Yacht Club Web site at www.yyc.org.

The Niagara River Boat Cruise and Clambake is open to the public and also will be held in July 2009 at the Youngstown Yacht Club. Guests will enjoy a three-hour sailboat or powerboat cruise up the Lower Niagara River, followed by dinner and entertainment back at the YYC. The 2009 dates will be published on www.niagarahospiceregatta.com once confirmed.

This event not only sees area skippers donating their beautiful yachts, but also furnishing drinks and hors d'oeuvres, and sharing their knowledge of local history and sights with guests, as well as answering general questions about sailing and power boating.

"This has become one of the best parties of the summer," said event Chairman Paul Beatty Jr. "As an avid boater, it's always great to see a new guest experience boating for the first time on what my Uncle Jack often referred to as the most beautiful place in the world."

Beatty continued, "I'm amazed by the generosity and kindness of our local community year after year. Whether I'm soliciting an advertisement for our program book, picking up a gift from one of the many local businesses that support the event annually, or talking to a potential volunteer, all I have to tell them is that it's for Hospice and there's usually an instant connection to someone special in their life who received hospice care."

Hospice is a philosophy of care for the terminally ill - providing comfort, care and dignity when it's needed most. Since 1988, Niagara Hospice has served more than 13,000 Niagara County residents and their families.

For more on Hospice, visit its Web site at www.niagarahospice.org or call 439-4417. For further information on the Niagara Hospice Regatta, visit www.niagarahospiceregatta.com or call Paul Beatty Jr. at 998-5777.