Paddling for At-risk Youth

[Peter Van Gieson]

Greetings,

I want to share something exciting with all of you. I have included with this e-mail an article that will appear in the March issue of the CCC's Paddler. This article is about a non-profit corporation I have started to help at-risk youth by introducing them to whitewater paddling. Please help out by sharing this article with others who may be interested in helping or by posting it on other paddling e-mail lists.

Thank you for your support,
Peter Van Gieson

Whitewater Paddling for At-Risk Youth

Most of us have experienced the fun, confidence and positive self-esteem we get from tackling a challenging river. I'm sure many of you would agree that our exposure to whitewater paddling has had a positive effect on our lives.

I have worked with at-risk youth in schools for more than 20 years of my adult life and for years, I have dreamed about providing them the opportunity to experience this same positive effect. I became an ACA certified instructor for that very reason. Thanks to a good friend (who prefers to remain anonymous), my dream is becoming a reality.

With his start-up contribution of $5,000, I have been able to establish Wolf Creek Adventures, Inc. as a charitable, non-profit corporation. The primary goal of Wolf Creek Adventures is to provide instruction to at-risk youth in tandem canoeing with the hopes that some of them will progress to running class I-II rivers. A select few may even progress to the level of running class III rapids.

The activities with the youth will begin this summer with instruction on lakes in the Asheville area. But there is plenty to do before that can happen. I will be busy making connections with schools and agencies in this area who will help identify youth appropriate for this program. I will need to purchase canoes and the other necessary equipment so we will be ready for action when summer rolls around. And then there are the volunteers who will be needed to help, once the youth are ready to take on some rivers.

Right now, the most important activity is fund-raising. $5,000 is a good start, but it is not enough to cover the expenses necessary to get Wolf Creek Adventures on the water. In the paperwork I completed to obtain tax exempt status from the IRS, I projected an initial two-year budget in excess of $13,000. Most of this budget goes to new equipment, training for the volunteers helping with this program and the expenses associated with the activities involving the youth (food, travel, etc.). There is no compensation paid out to any individual for their time, including myself.

My friend plans to contribute further to the development of Wolf Creek Adventures, but he wants to encourage you to pitch in and help. To do this, he has pledged to donate an additional $5,000 in matching funds if I can raise that much on my own. As I mentioned earlier, Wolf Creek Adventures is a charitable, non-profit corporation and all donations are tax deductible according to each individual's specific tax circumstances.

Please help me make a difference in the lives of our youth. Anything you can contribute will be greatly appreciated by the youth who benefit from this program. Please make your check or money order out to Wolf Creek Adventures, Inc. and send it to me at:

Wolf Creek Adventures, Inc.
40 Baker Drive
Asheville, NC 28806

These experiences may make the difference between a kid graduating from high school and becoming a successful, tax paying adult, or dropping out of school and becoming a further burden on society. For more information, please go to our web site at www.wolfcreekadventures.org or e-mail me at wolfcreekadventures@yahoo.com.

Thanks for your part in making this dream a reality.