Support Epilepsy Awareness!
How to help?
Come join us in a memorable float trip along the Current River, where there are beautiful springs, crystal clear water, and towering bluffs surrounded by forests. It's no wonder the Current River is part of the Ozark National Riverways and one of the finest floating rivers you'll find anywhere. This river is spring-fed, cold, and clear, which makes it a great experience for kayaking, canoeing, or just floating to relax. All profits from the Kayaking for Epilepsy event will be donated to Epilepsy Charities.
Who are We?
We are a group of veteran organizations (Missouri VFW Post 6280, American Legion Post 99, and Sons of American Legion Squadron 99) that have partnered with local businesses and volunteers like Sky Granny to bring about the kayaking for epilepsy event.
Why is this Cause Important?
Epilepsy affects 1 in 26 Americans. According to one study, epilepsy affects more people than cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, and cystic fibrosis combined. Sadly, epilepsy also causes more deaths than breast cancer, overdoses from prescriptions, skin cancer, or drunk driving. The Veteran Administration treated over 90,000 veterans from seizures as of 2011 mainly due to Traumatic Brain Injuries or TBI. Seizures and epilepsy also contribute to the high suicide rate among veterans who suffer from PTSD too.
Past Projects
We did a couple projects to support both the Epilepsy Foundation of America and the Epilepsy Foundation of Missouri and Kansas. The two projects were the Sky Granny's Skydiving for Epilepsy event in Miller, MO and the Athletes vs Epilepsy event at The Centre's Health and Fitness Complex in Rolla, MO. We also did three public service YouTube videos, which includes VFW Post Commander's Message on Epilepsy, Sky Granny's Skydive for Epilepsy -October 2016, and VFW Seizure First Aid Training on Purple Day®. Recently, we hosted a Purple Day® Seizure First Aid training event in Salem, MO in support of the international Anita Kaufmann Foundation.
Most Recent Event
Our event took place on June 25, 2017 with participants meeting at Jadwin Canoe Rental located at 8754 Hwy K, Jadwin, MO 65501. Check-in/registration/t-shirt pickup was at 8:00 a.m. and the first bus departed at 9:00 a.m. for the Current River drop-off point. This 8 mile-course started at Cedar Grove and finished at Akers (with pickup starting at 1:00 p.m.). The trip lasted 3-5 hours depending on how much participants floated, or stopped for lunch. To see what the Current River looks like, check out Sky Granny's Kayaking the Upper Current River video.
*For those preregistered online.
VFW Post 6280, American Legion Post 99, and SAL Squadron 99 are proud supporters of
