Passion for kayaking leads to ‘marching’ awareness

Sophomore Ty Giddens and juniors Francis Bearsch and Brad Acree all have one thing in common: their passion for kayaking. This time they’re doing it to raise money for the March of Dimes. \nMarch of Dimes is a not-for-profit organization that strives to improve the health of babies by preventing premature births, birth defects and infant mortality.\nGiddens, Bearsch and Acree are planning on kayaking from Huntington, Ind., to the Ohio River, a trip that will take them about three weeks. \n“At first it was funny,” Acree said. “We were doing it to say we could. But we became serious about it.”\nAcree added that if they were really going to do it, they might as well do it for a reason. He explained that he has a nephew who was born three months premature. \n“Not many people (donate to the) March of Dimes,” Giddens said. “We want all charities to have an equal amount of awareness.”\nGiddens explained that they have been training for a little more than two weeks. They began training early in the summer because they plan on leaving for their trip at the beginning of August.\nTheir training includes going to Lake Griffy for a few laps every morning, rain or shine. Bearsch added that they plan on going out to Lake Monroe in a few weeks. \n“We’re really positive that it’ll be a good trip,” Giddens said. \nAcree said they haven’t really looked into how to raise money for March of Dimes, but their main goal is to just spread awareness. One of the options they are considering is making bracelets similar to the Lance Armstrong Foundation’s “Livestrong” bracelets, but they would say “March of Dimes” on them. \nGiddens has been rafting for a little more than five years, while Bearsch has been kayaking since he was a sophomore in high school. \n“I’ve been kayaking on and off,” Bearsch said. “My dad kayaks a lot; that’s how I got into it.”\nAcree is the least experienced kayaker in the group, having started earlier in the summer. He began kayaking to go on this trip but has found it very enjoyable. \nGiddens and Acree both said that, as a group, they are planning on bringing a water purifier, protein bars, freeze-dried food and a little bit of money with them. They plan on sleeping on islands and sandbars, which they mapped out on Google Earth. \nAcree added that the trip is approximately 411 miles. Giddens said they plan on kayaking six to eight hours, or about 20 miles, a day. \nKimberly Jewell, the division director of the South Central Division of the Indiana chapter of the March of Dimes, said the charity group just raised $65,000 from their WalkAmerica event in Bloomington on May 6.\nRegarding the kayaking trip, Jewell said the best way for the kayakers to raise money is through supporters’ donations. \n“I’m very excited and proud of them,” Jewell said. “They seem to have a personal identification with March of Dimes.”