A team of more than 20 UVM faculty and staff participated in the Lake Champlain Dragon Boat Festival in August, raising thousands of dollars to support cancer patients and their families. Team “Groovy UV” finished among the top 10 teams in fundraising for Dragonheart Vermont, a dragon boat organization that supports cancer survivors through the Cancer Patient Support Foundation.

Dressed in green and gold tie-dyed shirts, colorful wigs and peace-sign sunglasses, UVM team members won raffle prizes, watched Burlington Taiko drumming, posed for team photos and warmed up for the race with a Zumba crew. The team won their first of two races by almost a boat length and missed the second win by just 0.3 seconds.

“While we had a great day racing on the water and dancing on the waterfront, the best part about this event is that we got to spend the day with colleagues and have fun, for a good cause,” said Cara Feldman-Hunt, program manager for UVM Integrative Health, who organized the UVM team and served as captain. UVM Integrative Health hosted a tent at the event with free acupuncture for festival-goers.

The UVM Office of the Provost sponsored team Groovy UV and Patty Prelock, provost and senior vice president, paddled with the team.