A Higher Purpose: Racing With Gratitude, Serving With Action
In honor of Veterans Day, I’m reminded of the courage and sacrifice of our service members and veterans, whose dedication protects the freedoms we often take for granted.
Every time I rig my ILCA and push off the dock, I’m reminded of how much freedom I have, to compete, to travel, to build a future in this sport I love. None of that happens without people who protect our ability to live freely, safely, and openly in this country.
Some of them don’t come home.
Some leave behind families who suddenly must navigate the unthinkable, emotionally and financially.
I’m 17, and I can’t fix everything.
But I can use my platform to do something.
Starting today, every email, every race report, every update I share will include an evergreen donation link to Tunnel to Towers Foundation (T2T), an organization that supports the families of fallen first responders and military service members, and builds smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans.
👉 Donate directly here
🔗 Tunnel to Towers
(This link goes straight to Tunnel to Towers. I don’t collect or handle donations.)
Why This Matters to Me
In sailing, we talk constantly about perspective.
Wind shifts.
Bad races.
Protests that don’t go your way.
But perspective is also knowing that some families are dealing with loss far greater than a bad finish line call.
Tunnel to Towers steps in when a hero’s family needs help the most:
Paying off the mortgage so their family can stay in their home
Building specially adapted smart homes for severely injured veterans
Ensuring first responders’ families aren’t left alone in financial crisis
They don’t just honor sacrifice, they act.
That resonates deeply with me. Sailing teaches responsibility, accountability, resilience, but service is the highest expression of those values.
No Middleman. No Complexity.
I don’t touch the money.
I’m just the messenger.
Donate directly on their secure site
Receive the tax receipt directly from Tunnel to Towers
You’re not supporting me — you’re supporting them.
Why an Evergreen Link?
Because impact shouldn’t be seasonal.
Not dependent on “Giving Tuesday.”
Not a one-time thing.
This is now baked into the DNA of this newsletter and my racing journey:
If you enjoy following my story, consider supporting theirs.
Every time you read an update from me:
I’m training harder
I’m leveling up
I’m giving back
And you can too in one click.
I’m Not Asking for Donations…
…I’m offering you the chance to make an impact.
If you never donate, I’m still grateful you’re here supporting my journey.
If you do, you’re helping a family that sacrificed far more than I ever will for the opportunities I have.
Evergreen Link (This will appear in every newsletter going forward)
Support Tunnel to Towers Foundation: https://t2t.org/
Thank You
For reading.
For supporting my sailing.
For supporting something bigger than sailing.
If nothing else, I hope this makes you pause and appreciate the people who make your life and freedom possible.
See you on the racecourse.
— Paloma