Vancouver Monster & Sea 24 Paddle for Cancer 2023

**UPDATE- the event will only take place at Deep Cove**

The Monster & Sea 24hr Paddle for Cancer is BACK! 2023 is year 7 of this incredible cause.

Once again, Vancouver will be represented in the Monster & Sea 24 – a 24-hour relay paddle raising money for local families dealing with cancer. This year we hope to get as many paddlers involved as possible! We are calling out to the entire paddle community to join in on any hour in the 24 hours between Friday May 5th 6pm & Saturday May 6th 6pm.

We will be keeping a steady stream of paddlers hitting the water based out of two locations:

Vanier Park (just west of the Coast Guard Station) and Deep Cove (Deep Cove Kayak Centre).

We are bringing together our community to help people in our community. Cancer is a taker. It wants everything from us - our health, confidence, and families. And it is relentless. Statistics say 1 in 3 people arm wrestle with cancer, but what about the other 2 people? Our job is to stand in the gap. Fill the void with love, compassion, and our ability to GO when our friends can't. This is what the 24 is all about.

The 24 started in the spring of 2015, when six people in Seattle, led by Troy Nebeker from Monster and Sea , did a relay paddle for 24 hours to raise some funds for families who were dealing with cancer. That team raised over $7,000. In 2016, the 24 grew to 7 teams, for the first time including a Vancouver team, and these groups collectively raised over $50,000. In 2017 it blew up to over 22 teams, again including a Vancouver team, this time collectively raising over $140,000! In 2018 there were a total of 26 teams, this time including three Vancouver teams, and collectively we raised $153,000! In 2019 there were a total of 40+ teams, this time including four Vancouver teams, and collectively we raised over $253,000!! In 2022, after a 2 year break due to public health safety guidelines we were thrilled to be back on the water. Our 2022 - 24 Monster & Sea Vancouver Paddling community raised $23,000.

Thanks to our community's generous support, the Vancouver teams have raised over $101,000. Funds raised have helped families as far west as Vancouver Island, as far east as Cape Breton NS, as far north as the Yukon Territories, as far south as Des Moise Iowa, and as far overseas as Northern Ireland, with many families being helped right here in the Lower Mainland.

Where does the money go? We give out all of our donations in $1000 increments to a person or family in need and how it's used is for them to decide. This isn’t about research, this isn’t about finding a cure, this doesn’t go to a charity. This is cash, in an envelope, put in the hands of folks who need it. It could help pay the utility bills, or buy some groceries, or maybe take the family away for a weekend to get a break from the chaos.

Thank you everyone for your generous support; know that your donations are going to hands in need and that they make a real difference in people’s lives.

Please join us!

Start: Friday, May 5th, 6pm

Finish: Saturday May 6th, 6pm

Where: Vanier Park (just west of the Coast Guard Station) &

Deep Cove (Deep Cove Kayak Centre)