Overlanding RV manufacturer Storyteller Overland recently served as title sponsor for a unique event held in Oregon to raise funds for those with cancer.
Kiteboard 4 Cancer, an annual event in Hood River, Oregon, raises money for Project Koru, which provides meaningful programs for cancer survivors.
Angie Fields, owner of a Storyteller Overland Beast MODE, is a cancer survivor who participated in the Kiteboard 4 Cancer event. Fields is a member of the company’s MODELife community and told the group about the event and how much she feels it helps people like her. She said the group that benefits from Project Koru, young adults ages 18 to 39, are an underserved group.
“When you go through cancer at that point, your body is just not the same,” Fields said. “You may be trying to start your career, graduating from college, getting married, having kids. And it’s just unsettling all the repercussions that chemo and all the different cancer therapies put you through.
That’s why Project Koru offers weeklong camps for cancer survivors to “escape” for a bit and surround themselves with people who know what they’ve gone through – and the camps are completely free to the cancer survivors.
“It’s a time for them to recharge and revitalize, and it’s life changing,” Fields said.
Project Koru also provides survivors with consistent community support over Zoom. These “Koru Communities” help participants meet other survivors, get support and advice, and work toward goals together.
The event, which was held July 7-9, raised $240,000 for Project Koru, and Storyteller Overland’s SOUL Program was the title sponsor. In it, kiteboarders of all ages battle through the rough waters of Oregon’s Columbia River for six hours straight.
“Storyteller is behind our community,” said Summer Trammell, Storyteller Overland’s chief of staff. “We want our MODE owners to know we not only appreciate their business, but we also want to join them in whatever they’re fighting for to make the world a little better.”
For more information on how the company gives back, contact soul@storytelleroverland.com.