August 26, 2002

Contact:

Raymond Abrahamsen
856-793-0600 x205
rabrahamsen@bayada.com
Bayada Regatta Celebrates 21st Anniversary

Philadelphia - The Philadelphia Rowing Program for the Disabled (PRPD) and Bayada Nurses are proud to announce that the 21st Annual All-Disabled Bayada Regatta will take place on Saturday, September 14, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. The Bayada Regatta is the oldest all-disabled regatta in the world.

Each year the Bayada Regatta takes place on the Schuylkill River near the Strawberry Mansion Bridge on Kelly Drive (East River Drive). Admission is free, and the event will feature something for all ages, including music, clowns, balloons, and free soft drinks and pretzels. The rain date is September 15, 2002.

This year's PRPD Co-Chairs, Stephanie Cole and Scott Brown, believe that the 2002 Bayada Regatta will be the largest ever. All this despite the fact that several of this year's top athletes will be in Seville, Spain competing in the first ever Adaptive World Championships.

More than 60 participants-classified according to their abilities, age, and experience-will compete in approximately 15 mixed and single events designed for novice, veteran and youth rowers. Rowers may have a number of disabilities, including blindness, visual impairment, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, post polio problems, paraplegia, or quadriplegia.

"The strong determination, energy, endurance, pride and self-esteem of all of the rowers make for a triumphant day," says Mark Baiada, president of Bayada Nurses, the sole sponsor for the Regatta. "We are committed to celebrating, supporting and promoting the Philadelphia Rowing Program for the Disabled."

The Philadelphia Rowing Program for the Disabled (PRPD) provides recreational and competitive rowing opportunities for the physically disabled. For more than a decade, PRPD has been a leader in the movement to make the sport of rowing available to everyone. For more information on PRPD, visit www.boathouserow.org/prpd02.html.

Founded in 1975, Bayada Nurses is an independently owned home health care agency that employs more than 6,000 nurses, home health aides, and therapists working from more than 70 offices in 11 states.

For more information on Bayada Nurses, visit www.bayada.com. For Bayada Regatta rowing information, please call 215-765-5118. For general information on the Bayada Regatta, call 856-231-1000.

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