JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The challenge is rowing nonstop for more than 350 miles in the ocean, but it's all for a good cause. Fernandina Beach-based Team Ohana is made up of four members from the First Coast who all have the goal to raise money for the Children’s Tumor Foundation.
Michele Holbrook and Paul Lore joined Good Morning Jacksonville to describe their training for the event and their passion behind what drives them to raise awareness for this cause.
Holbrook has neurofibromatosis, which causes tumors to grow throughout her body. Holbrook said she wanted to raise money to help children who are also diagnosed with the condition.
"I'm out there for five days doing it, but I'm doing it for these kids and for the ones of us that have NF that really struggle, and if they can live through this their entire lives, then I can anything for five to seven days."
Holbrook is also the national 2023 NF Ambassador. For more information about her background, click here.
Lore took part in other open ocean rowing events, most recently rowing from California to Hawaii to raise money for K9s for Warriors.
"You don't have a lot of amenities, you're completely powering the boat yourself, and if you come up with problems, you have to solve those problems as a team," said Lore.
Despite the how hard the journey is, members know the connections they've made on the boat are everlasting.
"It brings an incredible bond. We'll be friends forever," said Lore. "It really takes an idea, a dream, brings four people together, but all of a sudden you find this amazing community that just develops."
For more information about Team Ohana, the cause that they’re rowing for, and ways to donate and track their progress, visit here.