Wheels2Water Returns to Long Beach -- Volunteers Needed

Wheels2Water, an event held in collaboration with the Testaverde Fund for Spinal Cord Injuries, will be returning to Long Beach on Saturday, September 14.  Wheels2Water assists paralyzed surfers in getting back in the waves. Volunteers are needed. The Wheels2Water event takes place starting at 10:00 AM at Lido Beach West on Lido Blvd. in Long Beach.

Interested volunteers and surfers can contact Anthony Testaverde at 516-729-1061 for more information. Food will be provided on site for all volunteers and surfers courtesy of Applebee’s of Valley Stream.

“With the help of volunteers, these paralyzed athletes will get out of their wheelchairs and prepare for the most exhilarating ride of their lives. It’s about getting out and riding a wave. It’s about enjoying life and not letting a disability cripple you,” says Joe Testaverde. Joe was injured in 2000 at age 17.  

Wheels 2 Water, a project of the not-for-profit Testaverde Fund for Spinal Cord Injury, provides specially equipped surfboards with handles and leg bumpers. Two wheelchairs with dune buggy tires transport the athletes from the boardwalk across the sand to the sea and each participant wears a special life vest with attached scuba tanks for safety.

The goal of Wheels2Water is to help provide physically disabled individuals with the opportunity to enjoy the recreational and therapeutic benefits of water sports in order to improve their overall quality of life and health. There is no charge for paralyzed surfers to participate in this event.