All hands were on deck, dozens of boats bobbing on the sparkling San Diego Bay last weekend. Boating enthusiasts and health care professionals came together for the eleventh annual Sharp HospiceCare Benefit Regatta hosted by Sharp HospiceCare, Coronado Yacht Club and Cortez Racing Association.
All hands were on deck, dozens of boats bobbing on the sparkling San Diego Bay last weekend. Boating enthusiasts and health care professionals came together for the eleventh annual Sharp HospiceCare Benefit Regatta hosted by Sharp HospiceCare, Coronado Yacht Club and Cortez Racing Association.
The “Celebrating life” event, which included a Pre-Regatta cocktail reception, live and silent auctions, full course dinner and program with dancing as well as the Regatta itself, raised proceeds to support Sharp’s Homes for Hospice. The specialized homes throughout San Diego provide care and compassionate support to patients facing terminal illness.
For the day on the bay, a satisfying lunch provided by Subway buoyed up everyone’s energy. Guests boarded luxury yachts to cruise on the water and watch the racing boats on their course.
Jack Bollinger, owner of the Karen Ann, a Columbia Sloop 50, a sleek 50-foot sailboat, decided this year to be one of the spectator yachts. “I am actually a racer. But this year I thought I’d go for the higher ground,” he said.
Bollinger was at the helm while his wife Karen poured champagne and passed a plate of cheese and crackers.
“I love this Regatta,” Bollinger said. “It’s a great cause. We all know a loved one who has died from a terminal illness. Hospice is a wonderful service for them. It is kind of like the way you think about a fire extinguisher. We never want to have to use it, but we couldn’t get along without it.”
Bollinger maneuvered the Karen Anne among other spectator yachts, pointing out the colorful sails of the competing race boats. Seals played on the buoys marking the racecourse. Pelicans, California Gulls and Cormorants skimmed the water looking for fish. It was a day to celebrate all that life offered.
Beth Morgante, vice president and chief development officer of the Grossmont Hospital Foundation said that the Sharp HospiceCare Benefit Regatta is the largest fundraising event for Sharp HospiceCare.
“Operational expenses for each of the homes require continued monetary donations from the community, and we wouldn’t be able to provide this much needed service without that support,” Morgante said.
Suzi K. Johnson, vice president of Sharp HospiceCare, said that a third hospice home on a purchased 11-acre property in Bonita is planned for completion by Spring 2014.
“Building the third hospice home in the South Bay has been a vision for Sharp HospiceCare for several years. The tremendous support we continue to receive from generous donors and supporters of the Regatta brings us that much closer to serving the needs of families in that community,” she said.
Sharp’s Homes for Hospice, including LakeView Home in La Mesa and ParkView Home in Del Cerro, are the only places of their kind in San Diego. They operate solely to provide care and compassionate support to patients, families and friends dealing with terminal illnesses.
For more information about Sharp HospiceCare, go to www.sharp.com/hospice/homes-for-hospice.cfm.
