Eighth Local Legends Grant Winner

Congratulations to the Boobop Dragon Boating Team, our eighth $5,000 Local Legends Grant recipients.

They’re a team of 46, they’re between 39 – 80 years old, they’re from all over Western Bay of Plenty and all have different stories to tell. But one thing they all have in common? They are all breast cancer survivors.

The Boobops are an inspirational group of women; dedicated, competitive, fun loving and hard working. You’ll find them at Sulphur Point training three times a week during the Dragon Boat season and twice a week during winter. On the day that we delivered their giant Local Legends cheque, the weather was… not great (reference: Jess’s hair!). We were surprised when Jude, the teams coach, told us that they were going to have a paddle! We’re also happy to say that they chose to have a well-deserved celebratory drink instead.

Jude nominated the group in the hopes that it would help with their current fundraising efforts. “The team has grown extensively over the last couple of years, we now need to invest in another set of paddles which is fantastic!” The grant will also help them get to the International Breast Cancer Paddlers Commission World Championships, which are held every 4 years. The next meet is in 2023 at Lake Karapiro. The Boobops fundraising is ongoing to cover their costs of travel, accommodation, regatta entry fees, updating gear, and uniforms (although we think they already look very, very sharp, complete with pink lipstick!).

Want to get in touch with the Boopobs? They’re a very friendly bunch, you can find more information here. 

Nominations are now open for the next $5,000 Local Legends Grant, click here to make your nomination.