Whitewater Kayaking Adventure Leads to a Duke Time Off Photo Prize

Share images of your summer fun by Aug. 7 for a chance at grand prizes

Brent Lightle whitewater kayaking.
Brent Lightle shoots the rapids on the Nantahala River. Photo courtesy of Brent Lightle.

Brent Lightle, a Licensed Practical Nurse with Duke Orthopaedics Arringdon, said his family fit plenty of extreme fun into their weeklong vacation to the North Carolina mountains.

While visiting Cherokee with his wife Shannon, sons Jonathan and Malachi, and his in-laws, Lightle and his crew fit in three whitewater kayaking experiences, a whitewater rafting adventure and a river tubing excursion.

“This year it was way more action-packed than normal,” said Lightle, who has worked at Duke since 2012 and Duke Orthopaedics Arringdon since 2020. “We only had one day lounging by the pool.”

Whitewater kayaking was especially fun for Lightle, who found the challenge of picking his way through the fast-moving currents and rock-filled rivers addicting.

Brent Lightle on the Nantahala River. Photo courtesy of Brent Lightle.

Lightle’s photo of himself navigating rapids on the Nantahala River in a kayak was selected as the latest winner in this summer’s Duke Time Off campaign, highlighting the fun and fulfilling things Duke staff and faculty do with their time off benefit. For the win, Lightle received a Duke beach towel, courtesy of Duke University Stores.

“We get to connect and build memories," Lightle said. "Especially in the summertime, it’s fun to get the boys out of the house, being active and living a little.”

With the Aug. 7 deadline approaching to submit photos, now is the time to share photos of your special moments and off the beaten path adventures – everything from a backyard barbecue and beach getaway, to a long-awaited international trip – which highlight the ways you use your time off benefit.

How to share your 2023 summer pictures:

  • Post and tag a photo on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook with #DukeTimeOff. Tell us what you’re doing with your time away from work. Remember to tag Working@Duke and to include #DukeTimeOff in your post, so we can find your snapshots on social media.
  • If you’re not on social media or prefer to share your picture another way, go to hr.duke.edu/DukeTimeOff2023 to upload your picture.

To be eligible for prizes, photographs must be taken between May 24, 2023 through Aug. 6, 2023, and shared by current University and Health System staff and faculty during the same time period. The deadline for submissions is 12 p.m. Aug. 7.

During the campaign, the Working@Duke editorial team has awarded Duke-themed merchandise from the Duke eStore, courtesy of Duke University Stores. All eligible pictures shared throughout the course of the campaign – May 24, 2023, through Aug. 6, 2023 – will be in the running for these grand prizes:

  • A “Classic Package for Two” at the Washington Duke Inn, which includes a king or double/double room for one night and full breakfast for two in the Vista Room or room service, courtesy of the Washington Duke Inn. Sunday brunch is not eligible.
  • A Walking with Lemurs tour for four with Lemur Center Executive Director Greg Dye, courtesy of the Duke Lemur Center.

Grand prize winners will be announced on Working@Duke in late August.

Send story ideas, shout-outs and photographs through our story idea form or write working@duke.edu.

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