Well, Hello and Happy Holidays! If you weren’t at the club’s Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, you missed a wonderful gathering - representative of the personalities, skillsets, boating interests that make up the cornucopia of what is all things Hoosier Canoe and Kayak Club! I was honored to have been accepted by those present to be your Skipper for the upcoming year. Thank you to all that worked so hard to make the meeting a great success and I look forward to serving all of you.
A few highlights from what was discussed at the meeting:
Membership – we are growing! As of the Annual meeting our numbers have exceeded 350 memberships, four of which are new lifetime members who were honored at the meeting: congrats and THANK YOU for being a formative part of the group to Tom Siddall, Patricia Bledsoe, Jack Mitenbuler, and Richard Coughenour.
Your HCKC Board consists of seventeen members whom meet monthly through the year to discuss topics related to club outreach, education, current relevant projects going on in the Hoosier state, and exchange ideas on how the club can better serve its membership. I am thankful to have been a part of the board for four years now and am proud of the work that’s come out of the group. I want to give a heartfelt thank you to Duane Garloch whom has served us well these past two years and I hope to build upon the good work that’s been done under his leadership. Duane has been a member of the club for over fifteen years and has been an integral part of our Intro to Paddling classes as well as a beloved part of the Sea Kayaking fleet! I also want to give a shout out to our newest board member Tim Owens.
Always a fun time, there were several awards given out during the meeting…the most notable (and long time coming in my opinion) was to honor our Newsletter Editor Dwayne James for the tremendous work he has done month after month of putting the newsletter together in addition to all the other volunteer work he has done for the club over the years. Thank you Dwayne for everything you do!
These are the things I am most excited about for 2020:
- · We have some INCREDIBLE Instructors!! Over the past few years the number of ACA and Voyageur Certified Instructors has grown significantly – currently we have thirteen certified instructors in the club, most of which hold multiple certifications in more than one discipline. Last year the club provided not only the always popular Intro to Paddling classes and weekly pool practice sessions, but added an ACA Swiftwater Rescue class with plans to add more opportunities in upcoming years. The club now has a Safety and Education Committee that is working on Trip Leader education and more consistent instruction across all of our fleets.
- · Outreach opportunities and Amazing Volunteers – the Hoosier Canoe and Kayak Club has always been incredibly connected to the community. Whether it be supporting the Triathalons at Eagle Creek Reservoir or taking kids out on their first canoe ride and talking to them about being safe on the water, we have had some amazing club members come forward throughout the year to represent the club and spread the word about our favorite pastime. This year we have opportunities to work with Veterans through the Team River Runner program and have several members involved in the Voyageur Canoe program. I am thankful for the time and effort you’ve all put forward for us and look forward to hopefully working alongside each and every one of you again this year!
THANKFUL for a SUPER 2019 and EXCITED for 2020!!
Your (Newest) Skipper
Toni Harris
