The weather was perfect and the enthusiasm level high Saturday morning for Up the River with a Paddle: A Race to Empower Local Youth.
Check-in took place at the host venue Pareidolia Brewing Co., just yards from Riverview Park in Sebastian and the glistening Indian River Lagoon. Monies raised through registrations, raffle tickets, donations and contributions from Pareidolia, the Sandwich Shack and Grill and Paradise Ice Cream – which each donated a portion of their day’s proceeds – will help provide scholarships for eligible children to attend this summer’s AFLOC (A Florida Outdoor Center) Adventure Camps.
Friends and family members made their way out to the Sebastian City Docks to cheer on their favorites as the paddlers made their way around a triangular 3-mile course before youngsters worked off some energy with their own race in shallow water.
Later on everyone headed back to Pareidolia for after-race activities – including a few cold ones for the adults. Owner Pete Anderson was justifiably proud of their Wahoo Coffee Porter, which just won a gold medal in the porter category at Tampa’s Best Florida Beer Competition, the oldest and biggest in the state. Even more impressive, one of the judges said theirs was almost named Best Beer Overall – out of 500 competitors.
“We’re raising money to help underprivileged kids to attend summer camp. This is our first year and we got a little bit of a late start,” said Amy Speak, one of the event’s organizers along with AFLOC Founder Kristen Beck, board President Susan Atherton, Debbie McManus and Kathleen Brown.
A generous contribution from part-time resident Ann Trupiano will fund eight children, but more is needed.
“We’re looking to fund 30 students,” added Atherton, noting that scholarship children are often referred to them through the Hope for Families Center and administrators at Title 1 schools. The cost of the one-week ecological adventures, which are each limited to 10 children, is $150 per child. Campers visit spoil islands and local sites such as Round Island, ORCA (Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area), St. Sebastian River State Park and Donald MacDonald Park.
“We have our Junior Guides helping out; they’re 13- to 18-year-old teens certified in Wilderness First-Aid and outdoor leadership,” said Atherton. “They become camp counselors to the little kids at the camps, which go on all summer. Besides outdoor activities, such as kayaking and outdoor survival skills, they have accountability partners and they learn how to journal every day.”
Their main goal is to get children outdoors. Beck is in complete agreement with Richard Louv, author of the book “Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder.”
“The average person in the United States spends less than eight minutes a day outside,” said Beck. “Little kids are being prescribed glasses more often today because their eyes are not developing properly. When you’re outside, you’re focusing on lots of little things all around you and that naturally makes the eyes develop the way they were designed to be.”
She also believes that children are not exerting themselves enough outdoors, which can lead to other problems.
“There are more cases of ADD and ADHD because we’re putting them in a box and not letting them burn off their energy,” said Beck. At the camps, she said children are given lots of free play time. “They develop their own games, critical thinking, problem solving and build self-confidence. That’s not happening today; their lives are so structured. We want to get people to love our environment, because if they love it they’re going to take care of it.”
