DHVT Gives Back
Dragonheart Vermont's mission doesn't stop at the dock. Our members volunteer, fundraise, cook, haul, donate and show up for the community all year long, not because it's required, but because that's who this club is. Community giving is baked into everything we do, from the Lake Champlain Dragon Boat Festival to the projects that never make the headlines.
Here's what that looks like.
Community Projects
These are the projects our members come back to year after year: some tied to the paddling season, some running year-round.
Hope Lodge Dinners
The American Cancer Society Hope Lodge provides a free home away from home for cancer patients and their caregivers during treatment. Dragonheart Vermont members regularly cook and serve meals for the people staying there. A small thing that means a lot to someone far from home and going through a hard time.
Food Shelf Donations
Food shelf donations are collected at practice throughout the summer. In 2025, Dragonheart Vermont members delivered approximately 600 pounds of food to local food shelves, supporting 10 towns (some visited twice).
UVM Home Health & Hospice: Adult Day Program
Members donate baked goods to the Adult Day Program at UVM Home Health and Hospice — one more way the club shows up for people in our community who need a little extra care.
Outright Vermont Fire Truck Pull
Yes, we pull fire trucks too. A team of Dragonheart Vermont members — the "Dragons on Dry Land" — competes in the Outright Vermont Fire Truck Pull each year, raising money for LGBTQ+ youth in Vermont. In 2025, the team raised $6,377.
And we don’t just enter—we make a statement: In 2023 we won best costume awards and in 2024 we clocked the fastest “pull time.” Over the three years we’ve participated, we’ve raised more than $23,000 for the cause!
Festival Fundraising for Vermont Cancer Organizations
The Lake Champlain Dragon Boat Festival is Dragonheart Vermont's signature community giving effort. Since 2006, festival proceeds have raised over $1 million for cancer-related organizations in Vermont: including Sail Beyond Cancer, the Cancer Patient Support Foundation, UVM Osher Center for Integrated Health, and community infrastructure like the adaptive kayak launch at Burlington's Community Boat Launch.
More Ways Members Give Back
The projects above are the ones with names and numbers. But Dragonheart Vermont members also show up in less visible ways: representing the club at farmers' markets and community events, volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, visiting senior centers, spending time at the Hope Lodge beyond dinner service, and participating in Green Up Day.
A large number of our members volunteer their time to keep the club itself running: office support, website work, legal reviews, graphic design, press outreach, and the year-round planning that makes the Lake Champlain Dragon Boat Festival happen. This is a volunteer-powered organization, and it runs because people care enough to do the work.
Why Giving Back Matters to This Club
Dragonheart Vermont's mission includes community giving, right alongside teamwork and fitness. It's not an add-on. It's not something the club does when there's time left over. It's part of why people join and part of why they stay.
When you become a member, you're joining a team that paddles together, competes together and gives back together. Many people find it's the part they didn't expect to love the most.