The inaugural Bear Mountain Paddle Race for charity got off to a splash in Peekskill Saturday.

About 70 paddleboarders came from near and far to participate in three different races. The event raised about $2,500 to benefit two very important causes.

"It's to benefit the Salon de Amorcitos, which is a charity in Puerto Rico to help people with down syndrome remain in the community for longer," said race organizer Lawrence Goldstein.

And one cause a little closer to home, Hudson Valley H2O.

"It's designed to get people who wouldn't normally be able to afford getting into the water or wouldn't have access to the water and create low cost or free access onto the Hudson River," said Hudson Valley H2O's Ian Berger.

The event's coordinators hope that this will be the first of many paddleboard races on the Hudson River to come.