DAY 4 of 12: SWAMP THING Backpacking Trip

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GTD's 12 Days of Christmas
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DAY 4 of 12:
SWAMP THING Backpacking Trip (Jan 2017)
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Swamp Thing is a weekend Christ-centered backpacking journey into one of North America's unsung wild places - the Everglades of south Florida. The Big Cypress Swamp is a spectacular, rugged, rare, subtropical landscape experienced by very few adventurous souls each year. It is hauntingly beautiful. And it is enormous, covering 2400 square miles.

GTD's Swamp Thing Backpacking Trip is a 8 mile out-and-back (4 miles each way) hike through the fresh water swamp that flows into the Everglades. We will trek in 4 miles and camp for 1 night on a small pineland island which is surrounded by an endless river of grass, cypress trees, and marsh swamps. During our time we will explore some of the rarest terrain in the world. About 75% of our hiking trail is through swamp water measuring from ankle to knee deep.

Join us at the end of next month (January 2017) for our annual romp in the swamp!

AT-A-GLANCE:

Trip: SWAMP THING (Everglades Backpacking Trip)
Dates: (Specific dates TBD): Either Jan 21-22 or 28-29, 2017 (Sat-Sun)
Location: Naples, FL (Big Cypress Preserve)
Cost: Starting at $59/person
Website & Details: click here

We hope you can join us on this God-awesome adventure!

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This is part of GTD's 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS.
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Each day during Dec 12-24 we are unveiling a different upcoming GTD adventure (along with its website) that made it onto our 2017 Public Event Calendar. Check back each day for the latest and greatest from GTD!
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TONIGHT'S MEETING POSTPONED UNTIL JANUARY

Unfortunately due to sickness we will be postponing tonight's "GTD Interest Meeting" until after the holidays and our mission trip.

The new date for the meeting will be January 26, 2017 (Thursday night 6:30pm-8pm).

This meeting is open to anyone that would like to get more involved in GTD (such as volunteering, interning, potential guides, etc).

We look forward to seeing you next month! Have a very Merry CHRISTmas and a Happy New Year!

DAY 3 of 12: IGNITE Camping Retreat

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GTD's 12 Days of Christmas
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DAY 3 of 12:
IGNITE Camping Retreat (March 2017)
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IGNITE is GTD's affordable family friendly spring camping retreat!

IGNITE has all kinds of fun activities such as camping, bon fires, high ropes course, a zipline, swimming, low ropes course, field games, outdoor movies, daily devotionals, delicious meals, smores, and optional add-on's of paintball and bunkhouses.

Join us on March 17-19, 2017 for a jam packed weekend of God-awesome fun!

AT-A-GLANCE:

Trip: IGNITE (Spring Camping Retreat)
Dates: March 17-19, 2017 (Fri-Sun)
Location: Hudson, FL (Word of Life)
Cost: Starting at $35/person (paintball & bunkhouses available)
Website & Details: click here

We hope you can join us on this God-awesome adventure!

======================================
This is part of GTD's 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS.
======================================
Each day during Dec 12-24 we are unveiling a different upcoming GTD adventure (along with its website) that made it onto our 2017 Public Event Calendar. Check back each day for the latest and greatest from GTD!
======================================


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DAY 2 of 12: LIQUID (GTD's FREE Canoeing Day Trip)

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DAY 2: LIQUID (GTD's FREE Canoeing Day Trip)
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This is GTD's version of Free "Live Streaming"!

What's better than a day of canoeing at Weedon Island??? A FREE day of canoeing at Weedon Island (including a free lunch!)

Join us on Saturday April 15th (the day before Easter) for a fun day of canoeing through a maze of mangroves at Weedon Island in St Petersburg, FL. It's always a splash!

AT-A-GLANCE:
 
Trip: LIQUID (Canoeing Day Trip)
Dates: April 15, 2017 (Sat) (2 Sessions)
Location: St Petersburg, FL (Weedon Island)
Cost: FREE (includes lunch!)
Website & Details: click here

We hope you can join us on this God-awesome adventure!

=============================
This is part of GTD's 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS.
=============================
Each day during Dec 12-24 we are unveiling a different upcoming GTD adventure (along with its website) that made it onto our 2017 Public Event Calendar. Check back each day for the latest and greatest from GTD!
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Thank You Dana & Martha!

Sometimes THANK YOU just isn't a big enough word! That's how I feel about my amazing cousins Dana & Martha Ward. They are 2 of the best people you will ever meet... thoughtful, caring, encouraging, big-hearted, outgoing, fun-loving, and the list goes on. They founded and run a fantastic business in Orlando called, Real Estate Closing Solutions. Everything they do, they do with excellence. I want to give a huge shout-out to my awesome cousins for the time and love they've invested in me through the years. As I reflect on 20 years of ministry I can't help but thank God for the people who have played an essential role in the life of this ministry. Dana & Martha, thank you so much for believing in me and GTD! Thank you for supporting our mission and vision through the years! My heart overflows with gratitude for the difference you make in my life and the life of this ministry! Thank you for your friendship, love, and for helping us to do what we do! Looking forward to doing an adventure with you guys in 2017! God bless you =)


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DAY 1 of 12: UTAH - The Mighty 5

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DAY 1: UTAH - The Mighty 5
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It's baaaaaaack!

We are happy to announce that "The Mighty 5 UTAH Trip" made it back on the GTD Public Event Calendar for 2017!

We had a fantastic trip there a few months ago and several people have expressed interest in going on our Utah Trip in 2017.

During our 6-day trip we will visit 5 National Parks - Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Canyonland, and Arches. We will immerse ourselves in breathtaking scenery as we hike The Narrows, Angels Landing, Navajo Hoodoo Trail, go apple picking and much, much more! It's a once-in-a-lifetime bucket list trip!

AT-A-GLANCE:
Trip: UTAH - The Mighty 5 Trip
Dates: Sept 18-23, 2017 (6 days; 5 nights)
Cost: Starting at $849 (plus airfare & meals)
Website & Details: click here

We hope you can join us on this God-awesome adventure of a lifetime!

====================================
This is part of GTD's 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS.
====================================
Each day during Dec 12-24 we are unveiling a different upcoming GTD adventure (along with its website) that made it onto our 2017 Public Event Calendar. Check back each day for the latest and greatest from GTD!
====================================


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KICKING OFF GTD's 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS!

Today GTD is kicking off our 12 Days of Christmas!!

Each day for the next 12 days we will unveil one of our upcoming Public Events planned for 2017 along with its website link filled with all the details.

We hope you and your loved ones can join us on a God-awesome GTD event in 2017!

We want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas season =)


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THE TRACI AWARD!

One of the great things about our Annual Banquet is that it is a time that Laurie and I can recognize and thank those who use their time, talents, and treasures to aid and advance the function of GTD.
 
This year was extra special because we unveiled a new award: THE TRACI VESCOVI EXTRA MILE AWARD! We are so thrilled to create an award that honors my sister and all the extra miles of help, effort, and heart that she pours into my life and especially into the life of this ministry. We couldn't do what we do if she didn't continually year after year after year do what she does to volunteer and take initiative to serve our ministry in ways that most people will never fully know. I'm so blessed to have her as my sister, to call her one of my best friends, and to have her partnership in ministry.
 
And now we are joyous beyond measure to be able to recognize that same type of volunteerism in others this year and every year from this point on by handing out "The Traci Award" to those who go above and beyond to serve this ministry.
 
You will also notice that the last 3 letters of exTRA are also the first 3 letters of TRAci. Also notice that the "c" creates the head of the woman on the award and that the "i" with Traci's trademark asterisk over top of the "i" forms a burning torch. The award is custom made to represent some special characteristics about Traci =)
 
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The Award reads:
 
THE TRACI VESCOVI EXTRA MILE AWARD
 
HONORING THOSE WHOSE ATTITUDE AND ACTS OF SERVICE FOR GTD GO ABOVE AND BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY.
 
RECOGNIZING THOSE WHOSE SELFLESS ACTIONS SIGNIFICANTLY AND POSITIVELY IMPACT, SUSTAIN, PRESERVE, AND PERPETUATE THE LIFE AND MISSION OF THIS MINISTRY.
 
YOU NOT ONLY WENT THE DISTANCE, YOU WENT THE EXTRA MILE!
 
MATTHEW 5:41
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(Thank you so much Traci!!)
 
This year's recipients are:
Traci Vescovi
Laurie Finger
Carson Vescovi
Garrett Kline
Richard Dunn
Jerry Mullins
Kevin Starner
Erin Powell
William Miller
 
Our deep and heartfelt thanks goes out to each and every one of you for your extra mile of love and support!

RECORD BREAKING NIGHT!!

It's with a humble and joyful heart that I report that our Annual Banquet event has so far raised a GTD RECORD BREAKING amount of $53,004!!! (Glory to God!!!)

That puts us in striking distance (47k) of our overall goal of 100k by the end of the year!!

Donations ranged from $1 to $6600 and came through 65 generous people. You can see the breakdown of one-time donations and monthly pledges on the link below.

We want to PROFOUNDLY THANK EVERYONE who contributed to this jaw dropping total as well as everyone who volunteered and shared testimonies of the impact God made through GTD!! Our hearts overflow with joy for your support and belief in this ministry! Thank you so much for investing in GTD, in our 2017 program, and in the next 20 years of God-awesome ministry!!

Continue to follow our progress as we strive to hit our 100k goal by the end of the year! We have 3 weeks remaining in the end-of-the-year giving season and we are excited about this attainable ministry altering goal!!

To contribute to the cause and/or follow our daily progress click on the link below.

Thank you all so much and God bless you!!

Click here for banquet link


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OVERWHELMED!!!

Last night's celebration of 20 years of ministry was full of surprises, cherished moments, and touching testimonials that left me speechless and often shedding tears of joy.

Laurie went above and beyond to make it an unforgettable once-in-a-lifetime experience that included a gift of video testimonies and well wishes from about 170 people (most of which I still haven't seen yet). The ones that I have seen so far blessed my heart more than I can express! Thank you so much to everyone who took time out of their day to make a video! I'm totally touched and blessed!

Thank you to everyone who donated time, talents, and treasures towards last night's event and GTD!! It means the world to us!!

There are many more things to share about last night over the next few days.

And we are still calculating the total amount raised which we hope to share very very soon. It was a late night (4am) so I'm a little tired, but much encouraged =)

Thank you to everyone that helped make last night so special!!

FINAL 4 TABLE SPONSORS PUSH US PAST OUR GOAL!!

It is with a full heart that we thank our final 4 table sponsors for helping us exceed our goal of 25 tables!!! As of right now we have 27 tables sponsored (just 2 less than our all time high of 29 set last year!)!!!

We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to the following people for their generosity, love, and support:

1) Anonymous Platinum Table Sponsor (MSL)
2) The Powell Family
3) Paul & Susan Salce (Laurie's awesome parents)
4) Bryan Wozniak

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR GRACIOUSLY AND THOUGHTFULLY DONATING TO GTD!

GOD BLESS YOU!!

(Track our updated progress here)


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Can't Wait!!

23 HOURS TILL OUR CELEBRATION BANQUET!

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BANQUET RSVP's SURGE OVER THE WEEKEND!

BLOWN AWAY! 62 more people added on to our banquet attendance over the weekend!!

Looking forward to an amazing night of celebrating and honoring God!

Track our daily progress, get more info about the banquet, RSVP, and/or donate to the cause on this link.


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COLORADO 2017!!

Beyond THRILLED to announce that GTD's first official group trip to Colorado is planned for Oct 2-7, 2017... culminating with the Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Fiesta!!

Details coming this Tuesday night at GTD's Annual Banquet =)

Soooooo stoked!

UNVEILING NEW AWARD AT THE BANQUET!

We are unveiling a BRAND NEW GTD AWARD at this year's banquet on Tuesday night!!

Can't wait to reveal what it is and who it is going to!! =)

NEW GTD T-SHIRTS HAVE ARRIVED!

Our new GTD Ministry Partner T-shirts are in!!

They're not for sale... This is our small thank you gift to everyone who donates $100 or more or signs up for a monthly pledge of $10 or more.

We will be distributing them at our Annual Banquet this Tuesday night =)

Special thanks to Chuck Stewart and AxCelMark Corporation for their great & professional work =)

24' ENCLOSED TRAILER DONATED TO GTD!!

I learned a long time ago that you can't run a non-profit organization without the help of a lot of great people. Jerry Mullins is one of those great and generous people! Jerry owns "Mullins Enterprises & Concrete Pumping" in Pinellas Park, FL and serves on the City Council. He has supported our ministry in a lot of different ways for several years. Now he is doing it again. We are humbled & thrilled to share with you that Jerry Mullins has donated a 24' enclosed trailer that is in solid condition to GTD. That's a MAJOR BLESSING to us! Since GTD is a mobile ministry two of our most important pieces of equipment are the trailers that hold the adventure gear and the vehicles that pull those trailers. Without these pieces of equipment we couldn't get all the gear to the many different locations that we host events. In other words, these items are vital to accomplishment of our mission. We couldn't function without them. This donation will enable us to duplicate our ministry and open many more opportunities for GTD to grow and expand. This is a great addition to our ministry and we want to thank Jerry for his thoughtful and kindhearted generosity that will help launch GTD into a brighter 2017 and beyond! Thank you so much Jerry for all you do to support and help so many people and causes in our community! Thank you for being a blessing to GTD! We will get MANY YEARS of great use out of this trailer! You just blessed a lot of people! God bless you Sir =)


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HERE ARE SOME GREAT BANQUET UPDATES!!

HERE ARE SOME GREAT UPDATES!!

1) 12 MORE TABLES SPONSORED SINCE TUESDAY!! ONLY 2 MORE TABLE SPONSORSHIPS TO GO TO HIT OUR GOAL OF 25!!

2) WE HAVE 2 MORE CHAMPION DONORS WITH DONATIONS OF $1000 OR MORE!

3) $2500 HAS BEEN DONATED TOWARDS THE DONOR MATCH CHALLENGE WHICH MEANS IT GETS DOUBLED TO $5000!!!

4) $110 PER MONTH HAS BEEN DONATED TOWARDS THE DONOR MATCH MONTHLY CHALLENGE WHICH MEANS IT GETS DOUBLED TO $220 PER MONTH X 12 MONTHS!!

5) WE'VE HAD 2 MORE $1000 "BUCKETS" FILLED UP BY MULTI-DONORS... AND WE ARE CLOSE TO FILLING UP ANOTHER CHAMPION DONATION "BUCKET"!!

We have raised nearly 20% of our $100,000 Goal (Glory to God!) with 1 month to go =)

It's with full hearts that we want to thank our most recent donors...

- THANK YOU SO MUCH to our 2 new anonymous Champion Donors for your magnanimous contributions to GTD! We are blown away by your generosity! You are amazing! God bless you! We love you!

- THANK YOU SO MUCH to the following Table Sponsors, Donors, & Monthly Partners for believing in this ministry and generously supporting our mission. We love you! Thank you so very much:
  <> Dana & Martha Ward (my phenomenal and super fun cousins!)
  <> JC & Janessa Jannarone along with Gracie & Ella!! (our beautiful friends and awesome people!)
  <> Dennis & Lindsay McCormick (our incredible, thoughtful, & fantastic friends!)
  <> "The Originals" (our great & anonymous Old School GTD'ers!)
  <> Karen & Dick LaBrant (absolutely amazing people!)
  <> Anonymous (6 Tables) (terrific & generous couple!)
  <> Anonymous (2 Tables) (super fun people & dear friends!)

- AND ANOTHER THANK YOU TO OUR ANONYMOUS MATCHING DONORS!!! YOU ARE MAKING A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN THIS MINISTRY EVERY DAY! THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!!

To make a one-time donation, sponsor a table, and/or become a Monthly Partner (as well as seeing the current level of the bucket and to track our overall progress) click on this link.

You can make a difference!

Going The Distance Adventure Ministry (GTD)
Celebrating 20 years of ministry!
Love'n Life Because of Jesus Christ!


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31 FREE TICKETS!!

We are excited to announce that 31 complimentary tickets have been made available by our generous Table Sponsors & Donors for our Annual Banquet next week (Dec 6th at 6:30pm in Largo, FL).

Complimentary tickets do go quickly so we recommend that you RSVP online as soon as possible.

RSVP

BANQUET DETAILS



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HUGE NEWS!!!! (Matching Gifts Challenge!)

HUGE NEWS!!!! (And it's so appropriate that it's #GivingTuesday)

We have 2 VERY GENEROUS ANONYMOUS DONORS who have thrown down a Matching Gift Challenge for GTD!!

One of them will match dollar-for-dollar every one-time donation to GTD up to $6600!! (Thank you so much Champion Donor!!)

The second will match dollar-for-dollar every dollar pledged per month to GTD up to $400 for the next 12 months ($400 x 12 mths = $4800)!! (Thank you so much Monthly Partner!!)
 
That means that every dollar you donate becomes 2 dollars... $10 becomes $20... $50 becomes $100... $1000 becomes $2000... $6600 becomes $13,200!!!
 
That also means that if you pledge $25/mth to GTD for the next 12 months they will also pledge $25/mth for the next 12 months. Your $25 monthly pledge becomes $50 monthly pledges. If you pledge $100 they will match it and pledge $100... all the way up to $400 cumulatively.
 
THAT'S ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!! THIS CHALLENGE HAS THE POTENTIAL TO EQUAL $22,800 IN TOTAL DONATIONS!!!
 
We need your help in order to meet this challenge. You can double your impact by making a one-time donation or monthly pledge to GTD (or both!) today!! This is a great way to maximize your impact in a ministry that God is using to impact lives!
 
To make a one-time donation and/or a monthly pledge to GTD click on the links below (or email us or call us with the amount you are mailing in or pledging).
 
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! GOD BLESS YOU!!!

Links:
One-Time Donations click here   |   Monthly Pledges click here

GTD Email: info@goingthedistance.org
GTD Phone: 727-394-9483 (727-FYI-9-GTD)

CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF GOD-AWESOME MINISTRY!


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FUND RAISING UPDATE (8 Days To Go!!)

3 MORE TABLES SPONSORED!! (#9, 10, & 11)!!

1 MORE CHAMPION DONOR MONTHLY PARTNER!!

1 MORE $1000 "BUCKET" FILLED BY MULTI-DONORS!!

I'm happy to share some great news and several updates that have transpired over the past 10 days in regards to our Annual Banquet.

First, we had 3 new Bronze Table Sponsors added to the fold to bring our total number of sponsored tables to 11 for our Annual Banquet scheduled for Dec 6th. We want to profoundly thank Brad Beohler, Lauren Schaeffer, and GAP (Graduates And Professionals) Connection Group of First Baptist Church of Indian Rocks for their generous support and sponsorship of next week's Annual Banquet. Thank you so much!!! God bless you for your generous act of kindness to this ministry!!

Secondly, we want to give a huge THANK YOU to Taylor Peak (my amazing "adopted" Adventure Daughter!) for taking the $1000 Champion Donor Challenge and increasing her monthly support for the next 12 months to a level that exceeds $1000 per year!! Monthly Ministry Partners profoundly impact our ministry in powerful ways. Simply put, we couldn't do what we do without them. That makes them an indispensable part of GTD! Taylor, thank you for your friendship and long term & consistent support of GTD! And thank you for taking The Champion Donor Challenge!! We always have and always will LOVE you! God bless you for your partnership in this ministry! You're making a difference!

And lastly, we want to thank the multiple thoughtful, kind, and generous donors and monthly partners that have begun to contribute towards a $1000 Champion Donation. They allow us to pool their donations with other's donation so that when it's combined equals $1000. We had enough donors to fill another $1000 "bucket" as we strive to fill one hundred $1000 "buckets" by the end of the year to reach our $100,000 goal. We currently have $250 in the next bucket so we only need $750 to fill another bucket!

We have 1 week to go until our banquet and we've already exceeded $10,000 in donations and pledges!! (Praise Jesus!). You can follow our daily updates, track our fund raising progress, donate towards the cause, and RSVP to our Annual Banquet on our blogsite at this link.

Thank you so much! God bless you for your partnership!!


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HAVASU FALLS BACKPACKING TRIP 2016 (The Rest Of The Journey)

Here are 7 pics from our 10 hike into HAVASU FALLS (including the last 2 miles in the Indian Village of Supai)!

DESCEND AT OWN RISK! (MOONEY FALLS)

Our next adventure was the epic descent down the side of a cliff to the base of Mooney Falls!

Mooney Falls looks similar to Havasu Falls, but in subtle ways is more dramatic, exciting, and fun. We had a BLAST!

BEAVER FALLS DAY HIKE!

This was one of the BEST day hikes I've ever done... a 4 mile round-trip journey to Beaver Falls from our campsite at Havasu Falls. There was so much beauty and so much variety as we hiked this amazing oasis... check out the pictures to see what I mean... God-awesome spectacular beauty!!

Loved every second of it!

GET TO THE CHOPPER!

Here's our final 8 recap pictures from a terrific trip including our campsite, footbridge crossings, hiking in the rain, our helicopter ride out, visit to Sedona, and a "polar bear" cliff jump into 45 degree water! An incredible trip with incredible people!

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