On September 20, 2017, Hurricane Maria made landfall on the island of Puerto Rico. With sustained winds nearing category five strength, the storm demolished or severely damaged nearly 400,000 homes, caused deadly flooding, and decimated infrastructure across the island.
A year later, a great deal of work still needed to be done.
In the summer of 2018, retired motocross legends Travis Pastrana, Ryan Sipes, and Kevin Windham formed Team Puerto Rico to compete in Motocross of Nations 2018 – an effort to raise awareness about the ongoing situation in Puerto Rico, and to raise money for rebuilding.
In December 2018 and with support from Road 2 Recovery, the coalition of Team cbdMD, Team Puerto Rico, NeWave Construction, and Global Disaster Outreach hit the ground in Juncos – an area hard hit by wind, heavy rainfall, and mudslides. During their seven days in Juncos, the group provided construction services and distributed needed supplies in the area.
Team cbdMD members who worked on the ground in Puerto Rico included cbdMD President and Co-founder Caryn Dunayer, EVP of Sales Pancho Mangual, Director of Marketing Danielle Crary, Media Manager Austin Stallings, and Marketing Manager Keri Galatio.
Team cbdMD motocross star Tarah Gieger, a resident of Puerto Rico, also joined the effort.
“For cbdMD and the rest of the team, this was all about Americans pulling together to help Americans,” said Dunayer. “It was a privilege to serve this community alongside all of these incredible organizations, and we look forward to working with them again when needed.”
A film documentary about the relief initiative, entitled Race to Rebuild, will debut on ESPN2 on June 14, 2020 at 5:00 PM EDT. Check your local listings for airtimes in other time zones and replays.
Some cable guides may list the film as an episode of World of X Games.
