NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Contact: Steve Halvonik 717 787-1381

Annual Riverboat Cruise for Forgotten Veterans Will Occur September 8 through September 11

More than 1,000 veterans with physical disabilities will receive all-day rides as a result of local support

HARRISBURG (Sept. 3, 2009) – The annual Sharing & Caring riverboat cruise for disabled military veterans will be held Sept. 8-11. An estimated 1,000 veterans, many of whom are confined to hospitals and nursing homes, will receive lunch and a cruise on the Gateway Clipper Fleet’s Majestic. Docking begins at 10 a.m. each day at the Gateway Clipper’s Station Square location, and the cruise starts at 11 a.m.

The majority of the veterans who participate in the boat cruise are confined to wheel chairs. This event provides our true heroes with a relaxing day filled with food, wheel-chair dancing, prizes and more, and a chance to leave the space they are confined to 365 days a year.

Wagner, a U.S. Marine veteran who received a Purple Heart for wounds sustained in the Vietnam War, holds a charity golf event each July to support the riverboat cruise. For twenty-three years, Sharing and Caring, Inc. has received one hundred percent of the money raised from the golf outing for the boat cruises. This year’s golf tournament, which raised more than $30,000, was sponsored by First Niagara Bank and other various Pittsburgh corporations.

“The riverboat cruise is a unique way of showing veterans who are often forgotten in VA Hospitals and nursing homes that we care about them and appreciate the sacrifices they have made for ournation,” Wagner said. “I am deeply grateful to the volunteer staff of Sharing & Caring for their hard work and dedication in making this one of the premier charity events in Western Pennsylvania.”

The cruise began in 1985. More than 500 veterans, confined to Veterans Administration hospitals and nursing homes, participated in the inaugural cruise.

For more information on Sharing & Caring, call 412-372-6584.

Auditor General Jack Wagner is responsible for ensuring that all state money is spent legally and properly. He is the Commonwealth’s elected independent fiscal watchdog, conducting financial audits, performance audits and special investigations. The Department of the Auditor General conducts approximately 5,000 audits per year. To learn more about the Department of the Auditor General, taxpayers are encouraged to visit the department’s Web site at www.auditorgen.state.pa.us

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