East Tennessee Boating Club hosts first benefit Marina Hop
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) – On Saturday, members of the East Tennessee Boating Club (ETBC) gathered at Sonny’s Marina to kick off its first benefit Marina Hop.
The club dressed up in pool floats and traveled from marina to marina across Boone Lake, promoting boating safety.
“We just want to protect people that love the lakes the way that we do,” said Yvette Bryan, the club’s commander.
The group began at Sonny’s Marina and ended the evening at Lakeview Marina. At its last stop, the group held a raffle and a live auction, helping to raise funds for the Boone Lake Association.
“Their focus is to make sure our lakes are clean of debris and safe for boaters,” said Bryan. “And so all that we raise throughout the day will go towards a donation to the Boone Lake Association.
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The club raised around $4,000 to go towards the organization.
During the Marina Hop, ETBC also promoted a new program that ensures boaters can access a life jacket. They placed racks full of life jacks at the marinas they visited full of life jackets, free for anyone to borrow during their time on the lake.
“We have about 12 different life jackets,” said Gina Pinney, the club’s outreach director. “Different sizes for anyone that comes to the marina on a boat and maybe forgot a life jacket.”
The members said they needed to hold the event due to the incidents they’ve seen on the lake.
“There’s been so many deaths on the lakes in the last few years,” Pinney said. “It’s been widely publicized. So we really need to get people aware that they need proper life jackets.”
“You want to know that they’re being safe,” said Bryan. “That people around you are being safe because there are a lot of fatalities that can be prevented if you know what you should and should not do.”
Anyone looking to donate a life jacket to the drive can bring it to Rockingham Marina or First Horizon Bank at 2112 N. Roan Street by June 14th.
Those interested in more information about ETBC can find it here.
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