Changing the tide: Gene Doyle adventure scholarship alumni celebrate with kayaking trip

Six Gene Doyle scholarship alumni met for the first time last weekend, united by a young man with a kindred spirit for kayaking and adventure that they would never have the chance to know.

To kick off Gene Doyle Memorial Foundation's 20th anniversary celebration, which also included a fishing tournament and awards banquet, a water-based excursion was hosted by Ryan Young, founder of Rising Tide Explorers and one of the 2005 recipients of the Gene Doyle Adventure Scholarship.

The summer prior to his senior year at Palmetto Ridge High School, Young spent a month backpacking and sea kayaking in Alaska, funded by the foundation. He credits that trip with inspiring his love of kayaking, but more importantly with the valuable life lessons that he continues to use in his day-to-day business.

Young lit up with an Alaskan-sized smile as he recounted his month-long trek kayaking across the Prince William Sound and backpacking through the Talkeetna trails of Alaska with 12 students and three instructors.

“On a trip like that, you figure out your strengths and weaknesses. It gives you a deep sense of perspective when you figure out what you really need,” Young said. “Ultimately, you are responsible for your own survival, but you have a responsibility to look out for your teammates.”

As an entrepreneur, lessons learned on the Alaskan trails continue to give Young perspective and drive as a problem solver because, “When you are on that trail, you have no choice but to solve the problem. There is no cop-out. There are big risks, but even bigger rewards.”

On April 22, Young launched his kayaks from the Isle of Capri Paddle Park with several of his fellow scholarship recipients in tow. He laughed and said he wasn’t too worried about taking "this" group of outdoors men and women out on the water. Over the course of three hours, six strangers became old friends as they swapped stories about near-misses on the trails, body odor after 30 days in the wilderness and how exciting food drops were to receive.

The alumni continue to leave a positive mark on the community through their careers and through the next generation as they build their families. The first recipient of the adventure scholarship in 1997 was Colene (Keazer) Townsend, who recently launched Townsend Home Inspections. The mother of two brought her son on the trip, but said it was just as important to get young girls like her daughter outdoors on adventures like this.

“You just make them go. It is about life skills,” Townsend said.

After working for five years on Naples’ artificial reef project, Pamela Keyes -- a 2000 scholarship winner -- decided to launch her business as a Realtor with Coldwell Banker. With a 1-year-old and a 3-year-old, Brittany Wallace -- 2004 -- is a science teacher in Lee County who has dreams of building an online marketing business.

Two of the alumni on the trip are still charting their course. Preston Olinger (2016) is studying chemistry at Florida Gulf Coast University and Ryan Perez (2016) is attending Florida Southwestern University, with hopes of becoming a mountain guide one day.

The weekend concluded with an awards banquet for the foundation’s signature fishing tournament fundraiser. Colene Townsend expressed her gratitude for their support and asked them to continue supporting because “this should go on forever.”

In 1997, the Gene Doyle Memorial Foundation was launched in memory of its namesake, a Naples High graduate whose life was cut short in a 1996 car accident. Family friend Jim Vanas started the foundation and adventure scholarship program to keep Gene’s spirit alive. In a bit of irony, Vanas was unable to attend the 20th year celebration because of an injury sustained on his latest adventure, tagging gila monsters in the desserts of Nevada with a conservation group.

Gene Doyle’s parents Robin and Chris still run the foundation, but never thought it would have this kind of impact on so many young adults.

“When we started this (scholarship), we thought the idea of adventure was important. In listening to the stories of our alumni, I think it is more important than we ever realized,” said Robin Doyle.

Each year, the foundation awards three Gene Doyle Adventure Scholarships, which help deserving Collier County students to undertake the adventures of their dreams. For more information, visit www.GeneDoyle.org.