ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Nicholas Holzerland is about to take a very long trip for a very good cause.
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.
"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."
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.
"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."
His Paddle for People mission started when Crossroads Hope Academy contacted his business, It's Time Kayak, about an outing.
The foster school for boys struggles with extracurricular funds, so Holzerland decided to help.
With his epic journey, he hopes to raise $6,000, so the school can afford to take the kids on different adventures: one water sports outing per month for a whole year.
For more information on this epic journey, click here.
