Dragons race, crowds cheer at Catholic Charities fundraiser

The shout echoed across the harbor.

Marjo’ Miller, along with her father, Kurt Miller (off camera), who leads the grants management team for The Annie E. Casey Foundation, cheers for her dad’s colleagues by ringing her cowbell during the 2025 Catholic Charities of Baltimore Dragon Boat Races held Sept. 13 at the Inner Harbor. (Kevin J. Parks/CR Staff)

“All boats! Are you ready? Attention!”

With the blast of a horn, the dragon boat races paddled off Sept. 13 in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. A fundraiser for Catholic Charities, the biennial race featured local businesses, nonprofits and college teams competing for the coveted dragon trophy while raising money for the nonprofit and its many programs.

“It’s great seeing all these teams,” said Dave Kinkopf, executive director of Catholic Charities, the morning of the race. “It is going to be a great day of racing.”

Blue skies and warm temperatures brought favorable conditions for both the teams and the supporters, who lined the harbor and filled piers to cheer on their teams as they paddled past.

“The weather is perfect,” said Brian Vitrano, who, along with his daughter, Nora, 4, were cheering on Brown Advisory with pompoms. “It’s good to see all the people supporting the team.”

Auxiliary Bishop Adam J. Parker and David Kinkopf, executive director of Catholic Charities of Baltimore, paint the eyes of a dragon red to ceremoniously launch the social outreach organization’s 2025 Dragon Boat Races Sept. 13 at the Inner Harbor. (Courtesy Catholic Charities)

Elaborately decorated team tents featuring everything from dragons to Moana filled the team camp site where athletes gathered to get out of the sun and relax before races. M&T Bank team’s tent secured top honors for its festive decorations, which included a cardboard dragon boat and decorated plastic paddles all done by clients of My Sister’s Place Women’s Resource Center, a day shelter and resource center for women and children experiencing homelessness and poverty. The shelter partners with Team M&T throughout the year.

“There is a genuine relationship,” Martin Potter, operations manager for My Sister’s Place, said of M&T’s involvement. “We love it when they come down. We are all in the boat together.”

The event raised more than $400,000.

Ezra Buchdahl, an administrator at Catholic Charities for 37 years, has been volunteering at the races in different roles since they began in 1998. For this year’s race, Buchdahl found himself at the starting line, where he held individual team boats in place with a boat hook before the start.

“You can tell some of these teams practiced a lot. They know what they are doing,” Buchdahl said, though he remained a staunch supporter of the Catholic Charities team.

“I give them a little extra push,” he said, with a mischievous grin, as the other volunteers laughed.

Team Harkins Builders makes a splash during a heat in the 2025 Catholic Charities of Baltimore Dragon Boat Races held Sept. 13 at the Inner Harbor. (Kevin J. Parks/CR Staff)

Throughout the day, a lion dance could be heard promenading through the harbor. Teams could also be heard chanting everything from “Row Row Baby” to the tune “Ice Ice Baby” by Vanilla Ice to T. Rowe Price chanting to Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds (Don’t Worry About a Thing)” with youths from their partner organization, St. Vincent’s Villa Residential Treatment Center in Timonium.

“They did such a great job. The kids got so excited,” Molly Simms, a member of T. Rowe’s Price’s team, said. “It’s just a great day.”

It proved to be an exciting race day competition. The Brown Advisory team pulled off an upset, dethroning two-time winner M&T Bank to win the Division A title. Team Arch, the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s team, won first place in the B division.

Email Katie V. Jones at kjones@CatholicReview.org

To view more photographs from this event, click through the slideshow below or visit https://catholicreview.smugmug.com/Catholic-Charities-Baltimore-Dragon-Boats