Shake-A-Leg Newport does Wall Street

by Media Pro Int'l on 15 Jul 2008
This past weekend, teams of corporate executives traded their business suits and briefcases for life jackets and sailing gear to raise funds for Shake-A-Leg-Newport during the Wall Street Corporate Challenge.

Hosted by the Newport Shipyard July 11-12, the 17th annual regatta drew executives from the financial and legal world for two unforgettable days of racing aboard the legendary America's Cup 12 Metre yachts American Eagle, Enterprise, Nefertiti and Weatherly. Proceeds support Shake-A-Leg's summer programs for people with spinal cord injuries and nervous system dysfunction.

Defending champions MBIA (Armonk, N.Y.) won the eight-race series with GALE INTERNATIONAL (Boston, Mass.), a first time participant, in second place. Rounding out the finishers were DEBEVOISE & PLIMPTON (New York, N.Y.) and PROSKAUER ROSE (New York, N.Y.) in third and fourth place, respectively. In addition to the executives sailing onboard each 12 Metre, which also carried a four-person professional crew, participants from Shake-A-Leg's program joined in for both days of racing.

'This year's competition was fierce and the racing was very close!' said Chris Jumper, team captain of MBIA. 'I want to thank Shake-a-Leg for providing MBIA the opportunity to participate in this exciting and worthwhile event. Henry Drummond said that as you look back on your life, the moments that stand out are the moments when you have done things for others. Racing the classic America's Cup 12- Metre yachts in Shake-a-Leg's Wall Street Challenge has given us an experience that will stand-out for a life time.'

Plainfield Asset Management (Greenwich, Conn.) partnered with Shake-A-Leg to host the post-racing social and awards ceremony at the Newport Shipyard. 'This was a wonderful event for a great cause,' said Steve Luccaciani, senior vice-president at Plainfield Asset Management. 'Being involved exceeded our expectations. The crew on the 12 Metre Nefertiti was fantastic. We look forward to coming back next year.'

Shake-A-Leg Newport – a national leader in therapeutic and sailing programs that allow children, adolescents and adults of varying abilities to dramatically improve their life and health with confidence – is the beneficiary of the Wall Street Corporate Challenge.

'For the past 17 years, the Wall Street Corporate Challenge has had an incredible impact on the programs we operate in Newport,' said Paul Callahan, CEO, Shake-A-Leg Newport. 'Each summer the commitment from our large circle of supportive friends inspires us to do create more opportunities for the disabled population. We look forward to welcoming back old friends next year and surely, there is always room for new friends.'

On Friday night, after the first day of racing, Shake-A-Leg hosted over 100 friends and supporters at the New York Yacht Club where they enjoyed a summary video presentation from the day's racing by America's Cup commentator Tucker Thompson. The post-racing social and awards ceremony on Saturday was held at the Newport Shipyard and sponsored by Plainfield Asset Management. Additional sponsors of the weekend include the Hyatt Regency-Newport and other local businesses and individuals.


Results are available at www.shakealeg.org or www.wsccc.org and daily highlights video is available on-demand on www.tp2.tv.