Boats fill St. Johns River for annual charity benefiting children

Jacksonville River Rally and Fun Run helps child burn victims

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – High-performance boats cruised along the St. Johns River over the weekend for an event aimed at helping child burn victims in Florida.

The Jacksonville River Rally and Fun Run is an annual event that raises money to send children with severe burns to Camp Amigo, a summer camp in Tallahassee.

"Last year we put 14 kids total through on our donations," said Greg Harris, the event organizer. "This year we would love to send 20 or more kids to camp."

At age 11, Robert Augustine was severely burned on his neck and torso. He spent the next eight summers attending Camp Amigo.

"Being with other kids that had my same scars or even worse helped me," Augustine said.

Boaters made five stops during their trip to Crystal Cove in Palatka. Over 100 people from all over the state participated.

"There is nothing like it," Harris said. "No speed limit in most places. Here, we don't let it all hang out, but we go places where we can go as fast as we can run them."

Event organizers raised $12,754 in 2018. That's up from $11,500 in 2017.


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