Jack Marshall Shimko is paddling with a purpose.
Shimko, 30, a Newport Beach native, avid waterman and outdoor enthusiast who is currently recovering from Hodgkin’s lymphoma, is getting ready for a fundraising solo water paddling endurance event, an epic 150-mile journey from Santa Barbara to Newport Beach that will begin Sept. 23 and end at the Newport Beach Aquatic Center Oct. 2.
“PADDLE2LIVE—150 Miles 4 Cancer” is being presented by the Quiksilver Foundation. Shimko will attempt the feat in order to raise $500,000 for the UCLA Jonsson Cancer Foundation Center and LIVESTRONG, the organization founded by cancer survivor and champion cyclist Lance Armstrong.
“It’s great to be able to use my own survival to raise awareness and help fund the type of research that saved my life,” said Shimko. “In the end, though, PADDLE2LIVE isn’t about me. It’s about contributing to the fight against cancer and the search for a cure, and it’s about inspiring other young people to beat the disease and live their dreams.”
A mobile production crew provided by Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy of the Kennedy/Marshall Company will capture the paddle from start to finish and upload daily videos to www.paddle2live.org via satellite.
Online donations are being accepted at www.quiksilverfoundation.org/donate.
