OUR RECENT 5-DAY ADVENTURE TRIP WITH SFA WAS FANTASTIC!
(Note: SFA is a secular private academy not to be confused with a faith based private academy.)
I'm thrilled to share with you that GTD has recently been blessed with a wonderful outreach opportunity with an incredible organization based in St Petersburg, Florida that reaches out to foster care youth & at-risk teens in a very unique way that includes sailing. In fact, we just got back from our first 5-day Adventure Trip with them in North Carolina, and God blessed us with a great experience sprinkled in with some challenging moments that SFA teachers & staff turned into mechanisms of growth. On the 3rd day a few teachers shared with me that they could see some significant breakthroughs in some of the students. Camping and adventure has a unique way of stretching you & growing you quickly in a concentrated amount of time.
Long story short, a few months ago one of our former GTD employees (Tessa Ward) who now works for SFA introduced me to Hunter Thompson (Chief Operations Officer of SFA) and I was able to tour the academy and their enormous 100+ ft sailboat. I was immediately hooked on what they are doing, how they are doing it, and the results they are seeing. We began to talk about ways GTD could partner with SFA. Since we had an open week on our calendar and a campsite already reserved in NC, and since the students typically don't have the funds to do trips like this, and since we could run this event at minimal expense, and since God through our amazing supporters & donors blessed us exceedingly & abundantly at last year's Annual Banquet, and since it seemed that God was prompting my heart to reach out, I offered SFA a free 5 day Adventure Trip in North Carolina for up to 60 people. And praise God, with deep gratitude they accepted the offer. So in a matter of a couple of months they organized things on their end and we organized things on our end and it all culminated into 30 staff & students arriving to camp in 4 rental vans for a 5 day adventure in Pisgah National Forest!! We not only all survived, we had a fantastic time!!
In the weeks ahead I look forward to sharing with you special moments throughout the trip.
I want to profoundly thank all of our donors, supporters, Ministry Partners, & volunteers for making this event & experience possible!! You would have all loved seeing how the week transpired. Thank you for your generosity and commitment to GTD!! God bless you dear friends of GTD!
ABOUT SAILFUTURE ACADEMY (from their website):
"SailFuture is an innovative foster care agency, and private school based in St. Petersburg, Florida. We serve children and families across seven different programs throughout the Saint Petersburg community.
Our comprehensive continuum of care is designed to serve Florida’s highest-risk teens in foster care, meeting many, if not all, of their needs under one umbrella.
As an organization, we offer a broad range of programs and services designed to holistically treat childhood trauma and equip teens with the skills and resources necessary to navigate life."
More posts and updates to come!
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