Lifespan signs on as one of Team Alvimedica’s charity partners

NEWPORT – Lifespan, the largest health system in Rhode Island, has signed on as one of Team Alvimedica’s charity partners in the Volvo Ocean Race, a 39,000-mile worldwide sailing race that comes to Newport in May.
Team Alvimedica, led by Bristol’s Charlie Enright, is leaving donations to children’s heart health charities at each of the 10 stopover ports in the race.
The World Heart Health Charity Tour is in time for American Heart Month, recognized in February in the United States.
The team raises funds through an online auction on its website at www.teamalvimedica.com/auction where bids can be made on two separate experiences on board with Team Alvimedica at each of the stopover ports.
Bidders can compete for the “jump seat,” in which the winning bidder gets to jump overboard before the fleet heads out to sea – something Swipely’s Angus Davis did earlier this year, or they can join the team as crew for a Pro-Am race against the rest of the fleet with a group of friends or colleagues.
Team Alvimedica has raised nearly $40,000 since the start of the global race in Alicante, Spain, and at three following stopovers in South Africa, the United Arab Emirates and China.
“This program is a win-win for our sailing fans who can access an amazing experience with our team while benefiting a heart health charity at the same time,” Dr. Cem Bozkurt, CEO of Alvimedica, a medical devices company, said in a statement.
The team has announced charity recipients including charity partners in the upcoming New Zealand stopover and the team’s homeport of Newport, the race’s only United States stopover from May 5 to 17.
In addition to Lifespan, charity partners include:

  • Heart Kids and Starship Foundation, New Zealand
  • AVISA, Itajai, Brazil
  • Associacao Coragem (Courage Association), Lisbon, Portugal
  • Mecenat-cardiaque.org, Lorient, France
  • Hjart-Lungfonden.se, Stockholm, Sweden

Enright, 30, the skipper, has visited with children recovering from heart disease at each stop so far.
“Team Alvimedica gives us an opportunity to touch a number of local communities and it’s great for us to be able to give back everywhere we go,” he said.

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