Mission – PAIRnc is a non-profit aimed at providing paddling experiences and education for people with disabilities. Through fund raising and education we provide equipment and financial support for paddling opportunities.

Vision – For people with disabilities who would like to paddle to learn what their options are.

Yes! You CAN paddle!

Goals

• Inform people with disabilities what paddling opportunities are available
• Provide individual assessment so that each person has the equipment and education to paddle safely and to move towards their goals
• Provide education and experiences that meet their abilities and goals
• Encourage those that would like to move towards more inclusive paddling opportunities.
  
  

Core Values

• Respect for all people involved with PAIRnc
• Innovation to look for solutions to barriers, perceived or actual
• Collaboration with various groups and municipalities to promote safe paddling for all
• Accountability of the PAIRnc team to uphold these core values
  
  

Volunteer Instructors and Safety Boaters

Our kayak instructors are certified by the American Canoe Association (ACA). Our instructors are passionate about paddling and take great joy being able to share that passion with others. Several of our instructors have had additional training on how to teach people with physical or communication disabilities and we have shared this knowledge with the whole team.

Our safety boaters are avid paddlers who also want to share their love for paddling. They have many years of experience paddling and enjoy volunteering at our adaptive events. We do have specific criteria that our safety boaters must meet so we now have developed a Safety Boater Program.

The Safety Boater Program has an Assessment criteria for anyone interested in volunteering with us. It includes an Assessment where it is determined what skills that person already has and what skills need to be learned or reviewed. It also contains training regarding working with people who have disabilities. We are very proud of our safety boaters, and we couldn’t provide our programming without them!