The Culture of Giving Continues In Clayton

Watch an ESPN profile of a winning sports team and the culture of the organization is often highlighted as a reason for its success. Usually that culture is set by the head coach and it carries down through the assistants, the team members and even the employees in the building. They all get on the same page and work collectively for those successful results.

The annual 1,000 Islands Charity Poker Run last weekend once again demonstrated the philanthropic spirit that helped make it famous in the go-fast boating world. Photos by Jeff Helmkamp copyright Helmkamp Photos

The same can be said for the 1,000 Islands Charity Poker Run. The Poker Run Chair Committee is made up of seven people, all of whom volunteer and focus on making sure all proceeds from the event go to charities including Make-A-Wish of Central New York, River Hospital in Alexandria Bay, N.Y., and the police and fire departments and ambulances of Clayton and Alexandria Bay.

“I’m a guy who doesn’t stop,” said 1,000 Islands Charity Poker Run Committee president Bobby Cantwell, a former athlete who played hockey and was a barefoot water skier. “I try to thank every single person I see. I want people to feel that this is their run.”

DCB’s Tony Chiaramonte logged a little air-time in customer Bryce Menzies’ smoldering catamaran.

Paul Nigito came from New Jersey to participate in his 52-foot Outerlimits, Enough Said. While he was disappointed that he couldn’t take kids on Make-A-Wish rides, his first trip to Clayton left a positive impression. “The charity, the people running the event, even the hotel staff are very welcoming,” he said.

The attitude that the event is all about the charities doesn’t stop with the volunteers. During one of the total of 152 wish rides that boatowners participating in the ninth annual run volunteered their time and vessel for, 13-year-old wish kid Jayden Knapp from Windsor, N.Y., asked if he could sit next to the driver. Without hesitating, the owner of the boat, Junior Stefanini, told the youngster to take the wheel. He controlled the throttle and Knapp got the thrill of a lifetime driving a 42-foot high-performance center-console boat.

Junior Stefanini and the author gave 13-year-old Jayden Knapp an impromptu driving lesson during the Make-A-Wish rides.

“It was different than driving a jet ski,” Knapp said afterwards. The kicker was that the kid was good. He was so smooth with the wheel and pointed the boat in the exact direction as Stefanini instructed him.

Afterward, his stepdad Brandon Gould expressed his gratitude, saying, “It’s great that these foundations step up to do this.”

Having beneficiaries for poker runs is nothing new. Most of the events have some type of local connection, but the organizers of the 1,000 Islands Charity Poker Run want the participants in the event to know where the money goes.

On the road again—Aaron Treppa represented Sunsation Boats in Clayton last weekend.

“The great thing about the Make-A-Wish rides is that everybody sees where their donations go,” said Dianne Kuppermann, president/CEO of Make-A-Wish Central New York. “Wishes impact these kids for a lifetime. A wish gives a kid a feeling of normalcy.” She added that studies have also shown that kids who have a wish granted will stick with his or her medical protocols and have a more positive attitude towards treatment.

While official numbers won’t be released for a few weeks, Cantwell was confident that the 2025 event will surpass the $252,000 donated to Make-A-Wish last year. “I’m very confident that we will be over that number this year based on the generosity of the people at the auction in the tent that night,” he said.

Dare You to Not Cry
The 2025 edition of the 1,000 Islands Charity Poker Run was held July 17-19 in Clayton, N.Y., with boats coming from as far away as Arizona to participate. DCB Racing, a custom catamaran manufacturer based in Phoenix, was the title sponsor of this year’s run. Thursday started with high temperatures and oppressive humidity, but 15 to 20-mph winds blew through most of the afternoon bringing in much-needed relief for the evening’s street party that is the unofficial kickoff to the weekend. An unexpected backdrop for the party was the presence of the 216-foot Lurrsen yacht tied up along the Clayton waterfront. It belonged to the owner of the Boston Red Sox.

The traditional Thursday evening street party and exhibit in downtown Clayton warmed up the crowd.

Friday began with perfect weather for the Make-A-Wish rides. For safety reasons, only center-console designs are used for the run. “If we have to give a day for weather, I’ll give Thursday,” said Cantwell. “Friday is at the top of the list and Saturday almost comes second.”

Every year, board member Ken Lalonde organizes a breakfast run for a handful of high-performance boats. While it seems like an excuse for a bunch of guys to go for a blast in their fast vessels, it serves a bigger purpose. It clears the docks for the Make-A-Wish kids and their families to more easily access the boats they will be riding on.

This year, 19 families were signed up for wish rides on the six boats that volunteered. One of the wish kids returned after her first ride in 2024. Maddie Suarez from Liverpool, N.Y., went for her first ride on an American Marine Performance boat last year. When Walt Braithwaite, vice president of sales at AMP, heard that Suarez signed up for 2025, he asked if his company could take her again.

The AMP team pressed its new 433 center console into loving service for Make-A-Wish rides.

“Maddie is our favorite,” said Braithwaite. “After our ride with her last year we were crying. To me this is the best part of the event.”

Suarez said her favorite thing is going “super fast.” Her mom, Jennifer Southern, said the family altered a trip to Ohio on the same weekend because Maddie didn’t want to miss the boat ride. “We look forward to it every year,” said Southern. “Maddie wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

For 11-year-old Alayah Green, her ride in Clayton was recognition for her fundraising efforts for Make-A-Wish. She lives in the area and had her wish to meet the Disney princesses granted when she was three years old. One of her favorite things to do at Disney World was riding the carousel. When she got a little older, she wanted raise funds for Make-A-Wish and Green asked Destiny USA in Syracuse, N.Y., to let her do a ride-a-thon on its carousel. Instead of a couple hours, Destiny USA gave her an entire weekend. In the last couple of years, she has raised about $10,000.

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Enjoy more images from last Saturday’s main event.

At an event honoring Make-A-Wish fundraising efforts, Green and the 1,000 Islands Charity Poker Run were recognized. Members of the poker run board went to Syracuse and rode the carousel during Green’s fundraiser and they invited her and her family to Clayton for the weekend.

“I wasn’t expecting to be asked to the run, but it made me really happy,” said Green. “It was very fast.”

Summing up the impression that the Make-A-Wish rides leave on the drivers, Mystic Powerboats president John Cosker said, “I think you’re on the verge of tears the whole time you’re on the Make-A-Wish rides.”

The Main Event
With their hearts full, the poker runners gathered Friday evening for stereo wars and light shows and on Saturday, the 109-boat fleet welcomed another perfect weather day with light winds, bright sunshine and temperatures in the low 80s.

For 2025, the decision was made to not hand out the playing cards for the poker hands at each stop. They were all drawn by the boat captains at the end of the day. The boats were broken into three groups based on top speeds.

The 1,000 Islands area has 1,864 islands and 1,800 shoals, so staying in the marked channel is a priority. The run had five safety boats and 30 marshal boats working to keep the river free of spectators. When the boats left Clayton at 10:30 a.m., they started at Little Round Island ran back past the Clayton waterfront before stretching their legs for the run to Cape Vincent. From there the fleet headed to Alexandria Bay for launch at the town pavilion catered by Dinosaur Barbecue from Syracuse. The boats were led into the A-Bay by Dylan Morgan, son of board member Jeff Morgan, who showed excellent boat-handling skills, as his 17-foot center console banged and bounced through the wakes at 40 mph.

With DCB Performance Marine as the event’s title sponsor, Ken and Renee Lalonde were delighted to run their new 42-footer from the Phoenix-based custom catarmaran builder in the run.

With their bellies full of pulled pork, ribs and chicken, the drivers headed to Ogdensburg before sprinting back to Clayton to complete the 40-mile run. I would like to thank Raymond Roberts from RR Performance for letting me be a passenger in the new Nor-Tech 400 Roadster powered by quad Mercury Racing 500R outboards.

For Outerlimits Powerboats general manager Dan Kleitz, the 1,000 Islands Charity Poker Run gives him a chance to check in with customers because the company generally has a good showing at the event. “We like this run because there are still more high-performance stern drives than center consoles,” he said. “We still like stern drives and it’s always a good time knowing the run is for charity.”

BRP Marine Custom’s Ashley Shutter found the perfect seat for Friday afternoon’s action.

Shane Mahieu is a local boater and he has been to every charity run since 2018, usually with his son Blake. This year, the duo ran in their Skater 308. “It’s fantastic to see the amount of money that goes to local charities,” said Shane. “To see the kids and how happy they are is great.”

The 151 Express offshore racing team brought three boats to the 2025 run and used the event as a team-building experience. Longtime poker runner Gino Gargiulo brought his family all the way from Miami to participate in his 52-foot MTI catamaran, Spooled Up. “We always wanted to do this run and (the late) Larry (Goldman) always wanted to do it,” said Gargiulo. The two put together and ran many of Gargiulo’s theme-built catamarans prior to Goldman’s passing. Gargiulo’s company is a platinum sponsor of the event and he donated a bass signed by KISS founding member Gene Simmons.

The author caught a ride with Double R Performance co-owner Raymond Roberts in a Nor-Tech 4000 Roadster.

Cue the Tears — Again
After returning to the docks and getting their card hands, the poker runners gathered for cocktails and hors oeuvres and checked out the items up for auction to raise money for the event’s charities.

The evening kicked off with Alayah Green showing grace and poise while addressing the nearly 1,000 people gathered in the tent on the Harbor Hotel lawn.

She was followed by 17-year-old Kaitlyn Soules who was in attendance with her family, except her sister Amanda Uden who is serving in the U.S. Air Force in Minot, N.D., or so Soules thought. Then the Make-A-Wish folks did what they do best. They brought Master Sergeant Colin Placita from the Air Force’s 174th Attack Wing in Syracuse to the stage. His brother’s future father-in-law is a 1,000 Islands Charity Poker Run committee member.

“I asked to be a part of the program to tell you how moved we are by you,” Placida told Soules. “Your courage and bravery and strength and courage are inspirational.” He said he wanted to give a public shout-out to Uden, saying tonight isn’t the same without her being here. He followed that with, “Therefore, it is my honor to welcome your sister, Senior Airman Amanda Uden to this event.”

The heart and soul of the 1,000 Islands Charity Poker Run in the Make-A-Wish children it benefits.

With Soules—and most of the people in the crowd—in tears, Uden strode to the stage and gave her sister a long hug. Then Uden took the microphone.

“There’s no way I would have missed this tonight,” she told her sister. “I’m so proud of you. Not once during your journey have you ever complained and I’m so happy to be here to tell you that your wish for you, me Ashley and Christina, to go to Hawaii will come true in October.”

They were presented with four Hawaiian leis by the poker run committee members. Then Uden announced a new way for people to donate to the run in the form of the inaugural 1,000 Islands Charity Poker Run Challenge Coin. “It’s a symbol of the courage and spirit of wish kids,” said Uden. Five hundred of the coins have been minted and each member of the board was presented one of the coins by the Make-A-Wish kids.

The coins are $100 each and there were QR codes at each table that could be scanned to purchase one. Within 10 minutes, the poker runners had overwhelmed the server and within about 30 minutes all the coins were sold out. They were then all donated back and re-purchased.

Other highlights from the auction included the sale of a four-seat golf cart for $53,000. It was donated back and purchased again for $33,000. A photo of President Trump brought in $18,500, the KISS bass fetched $15,000 and a Generac generator sold for $11,000 before it was donated back and re-purchased for $3,000. With the coins bringing in $50,000, it’s not hard to see why Cantwell is confident about surpassing last year’s numbers. “We’ve come back stronger every year,” he said at the event. “Tonight is the culmination of months of planning, coordination and community.”

Added RR Performance’s Roberts, “We’ve always donated to the auction. The event and the donations give the public the right experience.” There were 125 sponsors this year, which is up from about 85 in 2024.

Captured here during the Thursday night street party, Double R Performance co-owner Peter Roberts embodies the event’s pervasive culture of giving.

Ainsley Grants unofficially took home the honor of being the youngest fundraiser at the 2025 event. She and her friends Trip and Knox Sherman raised $1,655.05 and donated it. Those funds were matched later in the evening.

“She’s already planning how to do it bigger for next year,” said her father Scott Grants, the president of Platinum Powerboats. “The father of the girl who was there for Make-A-Wish stopped Ainsley afterwards and thanked her with tears streaming down his face.”

At seven years old, Ainsley Grants is proof that the culture of the 1,000 Islands Charity Poker Run continues to spread.