On Saturday, Mike Patton will sponsor the second annual Dragon Boat Race on West Point Lake to benefit Harmony House Domestic Violence Shelter.

The event will be Harmony Houses’ biggest fundraiser for the year and will play a major role in funding the shelter’s needs that are not covered under other funding sources. The shelter often helps those from our community get through the worst points in their lives with not just a place to stay, but by helping them find or keep their jobs, find a safe place to live and generally reestablish their lives. Some of the most basic needs — like fuel to get to work until they can establish their own bank account — are often not covered by funding from grants however.

That is where the Dragon Boat Race comes in. The money raised by votes at the race will help fund those critical areas.

The event is about community too though.  With teams representing the City of West Point, the City of LaGrange, the LaGrange Police Department and local businesses from around the community, the race will hopefully be as organizer Michele Bedingfield put it “a true representation of our community.”

If you aren’t part of a team though, and even if you don’t feel like sitting in the cheering section, there will still be plenty to do at the event. Local churches plan to set up an area with games for children, and local businesses plan to come out and support the event with tents.