ST. JOSEPH – The sixth annual Dr. Lory Schults Memorial Lady Skipper Regatta will bring magnificent sailboats and hundreds of spectators to the Lake Michigan beaches of St. Joseph and the St. Joseph River Yacht Club on Saturday, Aug. 22. The event is a benefit for Lory’s Place, the area’s only grief healing and bereavement resource center for children and their families.

The Lady Skipper Regatta is in memory of Dr. Lory Schults, local physician who tragically died in an automobile accident in 2004. “Lory loved sailing. So this event is in her memory and all of the proceeds go to providing services for grieving children and their families throughout Southwest Michigan and Northern Indiana,” states Lisa Bartoszek, Director of Lory’s Place. “In 2008, 388 grieving children and adults participated in peer support groups at Lory’s Place, 269 children were supported through school outreach groups, and 996 people were served through walk-in visits, phone, email, outreach education, and crisis response. All services are provided at no charge,” Bartoszek said.

Lory’s Place is a bereavement service of Hospice at Home and was created to help children and their families work through their grief so they can become capable, healthy, and optimistic about the future. The services are free to all who need them. Lory’s Place is fully funded by the generous donations and gifts of our community through events such as the Lady Skipper Regatta.

The Skippers meeting begins at 10 a.m. with the race to start at 11 on Saturday, Aug. 22. Lunch will be served on the deck of the St. Joseph River Yacht Club immediately following the race.  The public is invited to view the race and have lunch at the club.

Celebrations continue at 5:30 p.m. that evening at the Vineland Center with an elegant dinner and spirited auction. Auction items include gourmet catered dinners, private charter sails, and a vast array of valuable items. There is limited seating for the dinner and the $75 per person tickets must be purchased soon by calling Lory’s Place at 983-2707.

The community is also encouraged to participate by purchasing regatta apparel and $100 raffle tickets. Only 200 raffle tickets are available for a chance to win $5,000 or a Whirlpool Duet washer and dryer with pedestal stands.

Raffle tickets can be purchased at Lory’s Place or from Lory’s Place Board Members. Tee-shirts will be available during the Regatta at the St. Joseph River Yacht Club.
For more information about the Lady Skipper Regatta or Lory’s Place, go to www.lorysplace.org or call Lory’s Place at (269) 983-2707.