Spend Saturday morning on Saluda River for a good cause

An organization whose mission is to get kids on the water would logically have a fundraiser on the river. It makes sense – and hopefully a lot of cents.

Canoeing For Kids, an organization that takes disadvantaged kids on free canoeing, kayaking and paddle boarding trips, is having a Raft-A-Rama at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 14 on the Saluda River.

Canoeing for Kids began in 1993, when founder Jay Alley and a team of paddlers traveled 2,000 miles from New York to New Orleans with the dream of creating the organization.

“We have served 23,000 children since we started, free of charge,” Alley said. “We provide free recreational watersports activities for disadvantaged kids at our facility and other camps across the state.”

On Saturday, Canoeing With Kids will host a 7-mile paddle from Canoeing For Kids headquarters in Lexington to Columbia. Organizers will provide rafts and gear for everyone, as well as a guide in each raft. Cost is $80. Alley answered a few questions about Raft-A-Rama:

Q. What can participants expect?

A. The rapids we will be on will be Class 2 (easy; fast-moving water with riffles and small waves) up to Class 3-plus (intermediate; moderate, irregular waves). There are seven rapids on the Saluda River on the 7 miles we travel. We’ll put in at our place in Lexington (114 Riverchase Court) and will go to the Blossom Street bridge. We’ll be on the water for about 1 hour, 45 minutes. There will be a guide.

Q. What will the money raised be used for?

A: What we do is provide free canoe and kayak trips for children. We put 1,500 disadvantaged kids on the water this past summer. So the money goes to support our program.

Q. If someone has never paddled before, could they still take the trip?

A. It is very much beginner-friendly.

Q. Do you need to know how to swim?

A. Not necessarily. Everyone will have on a PFD (personal flotation device)/life jacket. As long as they’re comfortable with the water, they should be OK.

Q. What’s up for lunch?

A. Our trip will start at 9:30 a.m. When we finish, we will bus back to Canoeing For Kids. There we will have barbecue chicken, lots of fresh vegetables, as well as hamburgers and hot dogs. It will be quite a feast.

Q. What do you need to bring?

A. They just need clothing and shoes they don’t mind getting wet. Everyone will get damp. Everyone’s shoes will get wet. And some will get very wet, depending on where they are sitting. We tell everyone less is more. They are welcome to bring cellphones or cameras if they want, but they are taking a chance on them getting wet. Some people bring a small cooler, but we’ll have water. We pretty much have everything they need. They should remember sunscreen, and sunglasses if they want them.