Who Are We? The Florida Paddling Trails Association (FPTA) was established in 2007 as a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the stewardship of Florida's paddling trails. Our mission is to be a resource and voice for paddlers, to develop water trails, and to protect the environment. In our recently updated strategic plan, one of our goals is to make FPTA a resource for partner-based youth education,
Project Introduction
Few things in life are more memorable than
our first trip floating down the shady corridor of a twisting river or skimming
along a sunny coastline. Many of us equate our first significant experience in
the outdoors with the first time we dipped a paddle, hoisted a sail, or
connected with flowing water as children. And we feel gratitude towards those
who led us there and helped kindle a life-long relationship with nature. Many of us who are fortunate to have had
these experiences feel a need to reach out and share similar opportunities with
younger generations. One way to share your passion for
paddling with young paddlers of the future is by supporting the Florida Paddling Trails
Association’s Legacy Fund Initiative.
What We Need
We need your donations to
help fund summer paddling camp scholarships for needy kids in Florida. FPTA has identified three outfitters with
established youth paddling programs in the
Jacksonville, Miami/Keys, and Indian River areas. Most of
the summer camps last 5 days, approximately 8 hours per day, and take 10-12
students per session. Students are drawn from the outfitters' local communities.
The Impact
Combining grant monies with the donations we raise,
we want to support scholarships for up to 40 students. These would be 40
students who are not inside watching television or computer screens; who are
outside for at least one week of the summer, learning about the natural
environment along their regional waterways while paddling. Forty students who,
20-30 years from now, may be scientists, teachers, legislators, lawyers, and
certainly voters who pay attention to
Florida’s waterways and are willing to fight to protect them because one time
they were given the opportunity to attend a paddling camp when they were
young.
Call to Action We value your contributions, no matter what
you can give! Please make a tax deductible donation online through our Indiegogo campaign today. Or if you prefer to handle things via snail mail, please make your check
payable to the FPTA and note Legacy Fund in the lower left corner. Send it to: Florida Paddling Trails
Association, PO Box 142082, Gainesville, FL 32614. Time is of the
essence since summer is right around the corner and camps will be starting
soon. Please make your contribution no
later than May 31st.
Other Ways You Can Help If you're not in a position to make a donation yourself, please share our project campaign with your paddling friends and family who might be interested. Together we can help create the next generation of Florida's water stewards!