Mana‘olana Pink Paddlers Receives $5,000 Grant from Bayer Fund

The Manaʻolana Pink Paddlers are the recipient of a $5,000 grant from Bayer Fund, the philanthropic arm of Bayer.

The funds will be used to upgrade services to members and the organization’s cancer community by providing healthy snacks after paddling, healthy food and rides to appointments to cancer patients in need and maintaining canoes for safe paddling.

President, Mary Dungans said, “This Bayer Fund Grant enables us to do things we had put on hold since Covid prevented us from doing any fundraising to support our members and community. We are honored to have been chosen for this wonderful gift.”

Organization leaders say the grant will not only provide support to the organization, but also the community it serves by allowing them to reach out to more cancer patients to provide food, rides to appointments and other support.

“Throughout the years, the grants given through Bayer Fund have helped strengthen our communities across the United States,” said Al Mitchell, President of Bayer Fund. “We’re proud to be able to provide support to develop programs that help combat challenges such as food insecurity, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education and support services to patients and families managing an illness or disease.”

In 2020, Bayer Fund awarded more than $17 million to over 3,400 charitable and nonprofit organizations to help address essential needs in food and nutrition, STEM education and community development. Over the last five years, nonprofit organizations across the US have received more than $80 million.

Manaʻolana Pink Paddlers is Hawaiʻi’s only outrigger paddling club dedicated to helping cancer patients and survivors regain physical and mental health after the grueling effects of cancer treatments. The organization’s mission is to cultivate hope, health, fitness, and fun for cancer survivors by getting them up, out and about, and embracing the active Maui lifestyle.

Utilizing traditional Hawaiian outrigger canoes, and a strong cadre of paddling supporters, the Manaʻolana Pink Paddlers encourage physical exercise to build strength, confidence, and friendship through paddling and social events.