Folks gather to gallop along beach for special cause

As 3-year-old Noah Moore was undergoing surgery for a congenital heart defect at only 7 days old, a group of horse enthusiasts participating in an American Heart Association (AHA) beach ride in Myrtle Beach was raising money for cardiovascular research in his honor.

That was 2012 and Friday, Noah was dressed as a firefighter perched atop a horse clothed in a firetruck quilt his mother made, proudly leading a costume parade of quarter horses, Tennessee walkers, Clydesdales, Appaloosas and more through the Lakewood Camping Resort campground.

Noah’s grandparents, Robbie and Lydia Dunaway, along with his mom, Jenny Moore, and his two siblings, were part of the 1,186 riders from 23 states and 35 saddle clubs taking over the campground for the 34th annual AHA Beach Ride.

More than 1,400 horses were checked in for the fundraising event that was nearing its goal of $300,000 designated to help with researching cardiovascular disease (heart disease and stroke), ranked as the No. 1 cause of death in South Carolina. AHA statistics show that Americans die from cardiovascular disease at an average rate of one death every 39 seconds. The money also helps to fund educational projects such as teaching lifesaving CPR.

Developing Team Noah

Anderson residents Tony and Pat Holland had been coming to the beach ride for about eight years when they learned the Dunaways would miss the 2012 ride because of their grandson’s heart surgery.

“Tony asked us what he could do and Robbie said pray and tell people about it,” Lydia Dunaway said.

Tony Holland had a banner and some T-shirts made and shared little Noah’s story during the ride. Out of that developed Team Noah, which this year boasts 45 team members who have raised more than $28,000 to date. Tony Holland, who used to be proud of the $400-$500 he raised, this year set a personal goal of $13,000. As of Saturday, he had raised more than $11,000 and was considering extending his goal to $20,000.

While the Hollands had enjoyed the beach ride and were dedicated to supporting heart research, it was after Noah’s surgery they became passionate.

“Noah is an inspiration to our team but you run into a lot of stories,” he said.

“It touches everybody,” Pat Holland said of heart disease.

Robbie Dunaway said before Noah’s surgery, traveling from their Pendleton home to the beach had provided good fun and fellowship. After their grandson’s life was threatened by heart disease, the ride took on greater meaning.

“It’s more of a passion now; more people have gotten engaged,” Robbie Dunaway said.

Because of the advancements in heart research, Noah is now stable, according to his mother. Noah had aortic valve repair at the Medical University of South Carolina, which was a fix, she said, but not a cure.

The Jack Monroe Beach Ride

Known through the years as the American Heart Association Jack Monroe Beach Ride, the annual event began thanks to an Horry County man named Jack Monroe. The ride started at a couple of different locations in the county before finding a permanent home at Lakewood.

“Jack Monroe had a passion for horses and had some heart disease,” Kelly Bedtelyon, AHA representative, said. “He got together some funds and held a beach ride. We are very fortunate that he selected the American Heart Association as recipient of the funds.”

Bedtelyon said Monroe handled the event himself for years until it grew too large and required an AHA staff member to provide oversight. Since its inception, the beach ride has raised more than $3 million for cardiovascular research with the AHA providing more than $4 million in research funding to hospitals across South Carolina.

Bedtelyon said MUSC has been selected as one of four hospitals across the U.S. to be part of a $4 million-funded strategically focused research network on disparities in stroke. She said the AHA is also working hard to get a law passed that requires all high schools to teach CPR as a mandate of graduation. Already 27 states have set this requirement with only South Carolina and Florida being the exception among southeastern states.

The AHA, however, continues to host the beach ride in Monroe’s honor and this year initiated the first Jack Monroe Service Award. The award recognizes a beach ride participant who has been a strong leader, a good philanthropist and “an all-around good person” who supports the mission of the AHA.

“So that is pretty special,” Bedtelyon said, adding that this year’s winner announced Saturday night at an awards ceremony is Bob Riddle, a retired assistant police chief of the Myrtle Beach Police Department.

Wendy Riddle-Naramore, who along with her sister Doris Clemmons have volunteered at the event as long as they can remember, accepted the award for her dad. Riddle-Naramore said their dad, who has a farm in Garden City where they raise horses, is very private and is not one to accept recognition.

“That’s not the reason he does what he does,” she said, noting that as a longtime friend of Jack Monroe he has followed the ride since its beginnings and is one of its longest active volunteers. Riddle chaired the committee that organizes the volunteers for years until she took over seven years ago.

While his dedication has always been to help raise money for heart research, he benefited from progress made in research when he needed heart surgery, she said.

With other family members involved in the event, Riddle-Naramore said it has become a family tradition with everyone enjoying other people’s horses. As for her father’s recognition, “I am very proud. It is an honor for him to receive the first Jack Monroe award and it is deserving of him to receive it. He has been here so long and is so dedicated.”

Lakewood embraces the annual event

In a press release, Robert Clinger, Lakewood general manager, said, hosting the equestrian event is always an exciting time for the resort.

“The Beach Ride is unlike any event we host here during the year, and the participants and their horses always make this a special week,” Clinger said. “We are proud to be partnered with such an impactful event as the American Heart Association Beach Ride.”

Cindy Ammons, groups and special events coordinator, said Lakewood has embraced the AHA annual event for several reasons.

“When you see 1,000 to 1,800 horses on the beach each year, it is an awesome sight,” Ammons said. “It is just a big deal to us because we have people here who have heart disease. This is just a good way of giving back and it is good for the community.”

The campground sponsors the event with the AHA doing all the scheduling and work to set up the long list of activities for the five-day event that includes a vendors row, a silent auction and a 20-mile beach ride.

While all potential guests are notified of the event prior to booking a camping space, there are few of the 1,100 campsites left unfilled by horse enthusiasts. Because the event is in its 34th year and runs from Wednesday to Sunday, many book their campsites a year out, often keeping the same spot year after year.

Horses cannot be brought into Lakewood until Wednesday morning, Ammons said, when a long line of campers and horse trailers can be seen lined up along the highway with participants anxiously awaiting entry.

Knowing CPR saves a life

Carmalee Scarpitti supports the AHA in part because CPR training helped her to save the life of a 40-year-old woman in Wilmington, N.C. A transit planner for the City of Raleigh, she was attending a conference three years ago when someone ran down the hall seeking anyone who knew CPR.

“I started CPR and I guess I saved her life,” Scarpitti said. “The EMS verified there was no heartbeat. I was in the right place at the right time and God was able to take the training I had and use it for someone.”

Scarpitti of Willow Spring, N.C., made her first ride in the AHA event last year and was named the 2015 Face of the Beach Ride for her fundraising efforts. She returned this year with her Paso Fino named Macey and friend Joyce Hagar, who brought her quarter horse Teddy Bear.

Scarpitti stays in touch with the young woman named Scarlett whom she said is healthy and has a daughter.

“That’s my best reason for participating in this event but also my niece at age 4 had open heart surgery and is now graduating from basic training in the Army. That’s how good the healthcare is for heart patients,” she said.

Scarpitti said her family has a long history of heart disease that has had an impact on her but the biggest impact, she said, is knowing you “literally have someone’s life in your hands.”

While saving a life could have been enough inspiration for Scarpitti to bring her horse for a ride on the beach, she has another story about a bad accident that left her on crutches and how therapeutic horse therapy made such a difference in her life.

“Many adults have had injuries or may be recovering from stroke and children may have a lifelong disability. Therapeutic horseback riding is how I got into the horse culture and now this annual ride is such a great way to get out and help people,” she said.

Hagar came along for the ride as a first time attendee this year, to support Scarpitti’s passion. A homemaker in Fuquay Varina, N.C., Hagar said she provides dog grooming out of her house to pay for her “horse habit.”

Hagar said she has ridden on the beach before but not with so many other horses.

“I’m not terribly good at fundraising but I put it out there. It’s a lot of work getting here but there’s a lot to do and I wish we had come two days sooner.”

This story was originally published November 9, 2015 at 9:35 AM with the headline "Folks gather to gallop along beach for special cause."