This is such a huge answer to prayer! We are still blessed beyond measure by our amazing supporters who contributed towards our Annual Fundraiser, stepped up to be Monthly Partners, and/or continue to make sporadic One-Time Donations. God used YOU to provide 10 new tandem kayaks into this ministry that will be used for the next 15+ years to take over 10,000 people on local Christ-centered outings! That's a really BIG DEAL to us!!
For 15 years (2004-2019) GTD took over 10,000 people canoeing on our 10 Mohawk Blazer 16 canoes! It was the number 1 activity we provided as a ministry! Those canoes have a lot of mileage on them, but with some needed TLC they can be refurbished to go another 15 years with another 10,000 people. We hope to strategically place them in north GA for future calm river & lake day trips and overnight canoe camping trips as we, Lord willing, expand GTD's footprint and impact to areas we love and are very familiar with. But now is the time to transition our Florida based activities from canoeing to kayaking!
We have actually been transitioning away from canoes and over to kayaks for the past 2 years. I've blogged several times about the benefits of kayaks over canoes in the Tampa Bay area which overflows with a lot of open choppy water. I've blogged several times about the increased safety of kayaks in open water, how kayaks are the backbone of our Day Trip Program, how our Day Trip Program is our first line of defense against times of economic crisis, how our Day Trip Program is the first line of offense to invite people into adventures with GTD, how kayaks are the more desired paddling options by the overwhelming majority of people we serve, and many other reasons that kayaks are one of the best investments we could ever make in GTD.
I'm beyond thrilled to share that now is that time! About 4 months ago we purchased 4 tandem kayaks. During that time we tested them and loved what we found. They are wide & heavy duty... perfect for beginner to intermediate paddlers, families with small toddlers, and rambunctious youths who love to travel at ramming speed towards one another. They also convert from tandem to individual kayaks by repositioning one of the seats. And at just under 11 ft long they are very versatile to carry on a trailer or in the back of 2 trucks. And on top of all of that they are only $300 per kayak (including 2 free paddles that usually cost $30 each)! That's more affordable than trying to buy preowned tandem kayaks which I've been shopping for over the past 2 years. The only negative is that the seat pads are way too thin and uncomfortable. Not a problem though! That's an easy affordable enhancement we can quickly make.
So say hello to our new fleet of 10 tandem recreational kayaks!! Along with our 15 individual recreational kayaks (that we've purchased used over the past 2 years) GTD can now accommodate 35 paddlers for local kayaking Day Trips! That's a lot of ministry opportunities!! And they will literally pay for themselves over the next 12 months!
There are so many great things going on in GTD!! We want to profusely thank all of our incredible supporters for investigating in this ministry and literally into tens of thousands of lives!! God bless you all!
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Going The Distance Adventure Ministry
Celebrating 25 years of God-awesome adventures!
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