ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. Nicholas Holzerland is about to take a very long trip for a very good cause.<\/p>\n
The 23-year-old St. Pete native embarks on a 400-plus-mile solo paddleboard journey Tuesday as a way to raise money for foster children at the Crossroads Hope Academy.<\/p>\n
\"I prefer to do things alone with nature,\" says Holzerland. \"I want to be with it and grow with it and eat off the land.\"<\/p>\n
Holzerland will paddle from the Peace River in Bartow, down the southwest coast of Florida, to the Bahamas. He hopes to make the journey alone, on a catamaran-style paddleboard in three to four weeks.<\/p>\n
\"So I'm bringing 400 pounds, including me, on this board,\" Holzerland says about the crate of gear he'll carry with him. \"You can still actually paddle with ease, and it's really stable.\"<\/p>\n
His Paddle for People mission started when Crossroads Hope Academy contacted his business, It's Time Kayak, about an outing.<\/p>\n
The foster school for boys struggles with extracurricular funds, so Holzerland decided to help.<\/p>\n
With his epic journey, he hopes to raise $6,000, so the school can afford one water sports outing per month for a whole year.<\/p>\n
For more information on this epic journey, click here.<\/p>\n
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St. Pete native to paddleboard more than 400 miles from Tampa Bay area to Bahamas - ABC Action News<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. Continue reading