Throughout the month of July nearly 75 youth from Martinsville and Henry County had an opportunity to get out and experience the great outdoors! Staff from the Martinsville-Henry County after 3 program, an initiative sponsored by the Harvest Foundation, lined up a series of trips in partnership with the Dan River Basin Association (DRBA) so that youth participating in the program could experience hiking and canoeing.
Youth from each of seven summer program sites throughout the county and city first took a trip to the Richard P. Gravely, Jr. Nature Preserve in Ridgeway. While at the preserve, the groups enjoyed guided hikes of Jones Cliff Trail led by Jennifer Doss of DRBA and Jeannie Frisco of Activate Martinsville-Henry County. The groups especially enjoyed visiting the Burgess Family cemetery, “I think it’s neat to be able to look back into the past” said Patsy Quinnan of the Collinsville YMCA. At the end of each hike, the groups gathered in the preserve’s outdoor classroom facility to enjoy a healthy snack and learn about the importance of proper nutrition from Jerelle Carter, Activities Coordinator for the MHC Coalition for Health and Wellness.
DRBA, with assistance from Smith River Junction Outfitters and the Smith River Valley Canoe Club (SRVCC), also coordinated a series of river trip for the groups. Volunteers from DRBA and SRVCC gave lessons on water safety to the youth and assisted them with basic paddling techniques. They learned about pollution and the importance of protecting local rivers while on the five mile trip and some even assisted in picking up litter as they paddled.
The youth had a great time; one participant mentioned “I can’t believe how much fun I had! I never knew how much fun canoeing could be.” Jerelle Carter of the coalition felt “that all of the kids are getting a great experience. It shows the kids that there are other fun physical activities that they can do right here in our community, other than basketball, football, baseball, etc., which you can find anywhere. One of the best aspects of these activities is that the kids can continue to enjoy them with their families for FREE, as long as they have the equipment.”
For more information on paddling the Smith, as well as other area rivers, visit
http://www.danriver.org/ or call 276-634-2545.
