The 4th annual Great Ponte Vedra Paddle held on Labor Day at Mickler’s Landing in Ponte Vedra Beach, drew hundreds of participants, spectators and supporters to the annual Stand Up Paddle Board competition benefitting local individuals on the autism spectrum. The fundraising event, one of the largest for the HEAL foundation, raised over $40,000 that will go towards Autism ESE classrooms, iPads, programs, camps and seminars across Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia. Almost 200 paddlers competed in four events: a 5-mile race, 3-mile race, a 1-mile sprint and an “Anything That Floats” challenge. The event, touted as the largest paddle board event on Florida’s east coast, draws mostly local participants, but his year’s event also drew participants from out of town and abroad, including one couple from St. Croix. For more information about HEAL, visit www.healautismnow.org. Photo provided by HEAL.