What does kayaking have to do with combatting underemployment for Veterans? And what IS underemployment anyway?

As an ACP mentor since 2020, I've seen first-hand the barriers to employment that our nation's heroes face after completing their military career. Through mentoring with ACP - a nonprofit dedicated to helping Veterans find meaningful civilian careers that reflect their experience, training and expertise - I'm working to ensure Veterans have the career opportunities they deserve after serving our country. Too often, military service and the experience earned during that service is not recognized by civilian employers so Veterans are hired into jobs that do not make full use of their skills and abilities, meaning they are underemployed.

This is personal to me. Not only have I mentored six Veterans, but I'm the son of a physician who served as a civilian surgeon at Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina. I'm following in his footsteps by serving the men and women who have served so bravely.

And my Mom lived by the motto “Do unto others as you would have them do onto you.” I've been lucky enough to have amazing mentors, so I'm now mentoring to give back as my mother taught me.

I will be doing a 3 hour "Kayakathon" that will include: Kayaking (60 minutes); Running (20 minutes); Biking (20 minutes); Pool Swimming (20 minutes); Stand Up Paddle Boarding (30 minutes); and then Kayaking again (30 minutes). I'm going to complete the Kayakathon this fall, and ask that you sponsor me by making a donation that is meaningful to you.

$1,000 funds one mentorship for a year, so I'm hoping to sponsor FIVE mentorships with this fundraiser by raising $5,000.

➡️Make my day and sponsor a full mentorship with a gift of $1,000.

➡️Donate $140 to reflect my time on the water kayaking, swimming and paddleboarding.

➡️Or $90 for the minutes I'm kayaking.

➡️Maybe $40 in honor of my land time running & biking.

➡️Any amount makes a difference!

Thank you for joining me in this effort. I'm proud to kayak on behalf of our Veterans who have sacrificed so much for our country.

Mike's Kayakathon for Veterans

I'm kayaking to combat Veteran Underemployment

Team Members