3 minute read
TAVERNIER SUPPORTERSWOMAN, PROTECT CENTRAL AMERICAN YOUTH
Upcoming Benefit To Help Cause
KELLIE BUTLER FARRELL www.keysweekly.com
An adventurous family sailing trip changed the course of Gail Gordon’s life.
In 2007, while navigating their sailboat roughly halfway around the world, Gordon and her husband Ted and then-teenaged son Trevor found themselves in the hurricane-safe zone of Rio Dulce, Guatemala. “There I built relationships with people,” recalled Gordon.
After returning to the Keys in 2009 from the sailing voyage, Gordon’s son soon departed for college and the mother of one found herself struggling to fill a massive void in her life.
“My life had become very empty here, so I started leading mission trips with my friends to Guatemala,” explained Gordon.
During one of those trips, Gordon helped rebuild a fire-damaged home for abused and neglected children. “That was the turning point for me, that I saw such a great need,” said Gordon.
Fast forward to 2015, after a lot of hard work and relentless fundraising, Gordon’s charity, Blue Water Surrender, had raised enough money to purchase their own home in Guatemala for children in need. There are currently 10 children staying at the safe house, named Casa Agua Azul (Blue Water House). All of the children were sent by the Guatemalan court system and their stories are heartbreaking.
“The backgrounds that the children come from, they’re just horrific, abuse that no child should ever suffer,” said Gordon.
On Friday, April 21, at 6 p.m., Blue Water Surrender will host its seventh annual Children’s Home Fish Fiesta Benefit at Bud N’ Mary’s Marina. All of the money raised goes to support the children in Guatemala.
“This will be the first one since COVID, so I’m kind of excited and nervous at the same time,” said Gordon of the upcoming fundraiser. She expects 100 to 150 people to attend.
“We rely on the generosity of people’s hearts. The Florida Keys community has been extremely generous,” said Gordon.
ChildrenfromCasaAguaAzulsurround GailandTedGordon.CasaAguaAzulisa homeforabusedandabandonedchildren inRioDulce,Guatemala.CONTRIBUTED
The community has also turned out in force for Gordon’s many faith-based missions to Guatemala. Upper Keys teens, Malia and Cash Alana, recently accompanied Gordon’s group to the Central American country and say the trip was transformative.
“I know that growing up you’re always told ‘Kids in Africa don’t have water, so you should be grateful,’ or whatever, but until you see it, it doesn’t really emotionally click,” said 16-yearold Malia.
“We would help work on a mission house. We would stain wood and we would paint and stuff,” added 14-yearold Cash, describing some of the volunteer work he did.
Both teens plan to return to Guatemala in July for another mission, this time to help plant trees, as part of an ongoing sustainability project by Blue Water Surrender.
“We’ve already planted over a hundred fruit trees, so when they mature we will have something to share with our community, something to sell, something to trade and the children can learn a skill that is useful to them in the environment they’re going to go back to,” explained Gordon.
Blue Water Surrender recently purchased some farmland in Guatemala, not far from Casa Agua Azul. They plan to remodel a house on the property to serve as the mission house for volunteers.
Every year, Gordon, her husband and volunteers also load up their sailboat with supplies and make the five-day sail to Guatemala.
Visit keysweekly.com for the full story.
Established in 1991, Florida Bay Outfi ers bills itself as “Key Largo’s Coolest Store!” It is your one-stop shop for kayaks, clothing and bathing suits. Brands carried include Onewheel, ORCA, SunBum, Costa Del Mar sunglasses, FloGrown and more.
Need a grill for a tailgate or sandbar party? You’ll find it at Florida Bay Outfi ers. Looking for kids clothes or some cool resort wear? Visit Florida Bay Outfi ers. Same for paddleboards and paddles.
“We started out as a kayak outfi er and have evolved into so much more,” said owner Robert Stoky. “We really focus on our customers' wants and needs, and if we don’t have what they are looking for, we go out of our way to find the product.”
With eight employees, the business is involved in the community through events and sponsorships as well as through memberships with the Key Largo and Marathon chambers of commerce. “We love the Florida Keys and our way of life down here,” said Stoky. “As locals, we support local e orts. There is no be er place on Earth to live than right here in the Florida Keys.”
104050 Overseas Highway, Key Largo
It’s the bright pink building in front of the Caribbean Club. 305-451-3018 info@floridabayoutfi ers.com
