Whitewater club gets a boost from grants
The Nantahala Racing Club has landed nearly $45,000 in grants for the 2016 season, encouraging the Swain County nonprofit in its quest to introduce youth and families to whitewater recreation.
• People recovering from spinal cord injuries will have a chance to get into whitewater recreation thanks to a $20,000 grant from the Craig H. Nielson Foundation. Through the grant, instructors will earn the American Canoe Association’s adaptive paddling certification and assist the NRC in obtaining specialized equipment for paddlers managing spinal cord injuries.
• A new youth leadership program to benefit youth in Cherokee will start using a $16,500 grant from the Cherokee Preservation Foundation. The program will aim to connect local kids with their natural resources and cultivate a healthy, active outdoor lifestyle.
• Nantahala Kids Club, an after-school program for Western North Carolina kids who may have never had access to paddling programs before, received $5,000 from the Columbia Sportswear Belay Grant.
• The NRC will help heavily used rivers with banks in need of stabilization using $5,000 from the Patagonia Environmental Grant.
