The preproduction kickoff for Racing to Rio the Movie was well attended by civic and community leaders and a host of great supporters who make Clearwater and Pinellas County the special place that it is.
We cannot thank our Racing to Rio Committee and our event sponsors enough for planning and executing this great evening.
Everyone was treated to great food, great wine, great music and great speeches from guests Clearwater Mayor George Cretekos, Brad Kendell and Warrior Sailing’s Ralf Steitz.
Mayor Cretekos spoke of the importance of this film in highlighting great deeds going on in the area that give people purpose and promote a better community for all. Brad shared his deep passion for sailing and how beneficial it is in building esteem, self-worth and leadership skills for the next generation. Ralf shared the Warrior Sailing vision of not only teaching sailing to returning disabled military, but creating a program that can be replicated over and over to communities globally.
Everyone emphasized how important Racing to Rio the Movie is to forwarding these programs and ideals locally and around the world.
Todd Gould and Jennifer Barbaro from The Barbaro-Gould Foundation laid out the inspiration for the movie and the steps needed to take it from here to the big screen. We received numerous donations and a $10,000 sponsorship on the spot! Please help us keep the momentum going.
For more information on how you can get involved in supporting this important film please e-mail .


We have several important requests of you to assist us in the making of this movie:
- Pledge your support. We appreciate all donations, we need major sponsors!
- To be a major sponsor, please e-mail us at or call us at R2R-478-2148.
- For donations, please visit racing2rio.com.
- Don’t forget your sponsorship or donation is 501(c)(3) tax deductible as allowed.
- Talk about Racing to Rio with your friends, family, community groups.
- Find us on social media, like us, follow us and most importantly share our page and our posts.
In the end, Racing to Rio is about community. It is with your support that we can share the great deeds in our community with communities around the world and be the spark of positive change.
With great thanks,
Todd & Jen