Larry Penkava
Staff Writer
ASHEBORO —
Greg Hodgin is using his speedboat to open the eyes of orphans to their possibilities in life.
A five-time state masters wakeboard champion and the 2007 U.S. champ, the Asheboro resident a few years ago first envisioned boating as a way to bring some fun into the lives of orphaned children after he came into contact with residents of the N.C. Baptist Children’s Home of Thomasville.
“They were the same age as my oldest daughter, Jennifer,” Hodgin said from his home on Legend Drive. “It made me start thinking about things my kids take for granted and these kids (orphans) aren’t doing at all.”
Both his daughters, Jennifer now 19 and Julie, 14, have also competed in wakeboards and kneeboards and both have state titles for their efforts. To them, boating is a normal part of life.
Hodgin said he told his wife Lois that they should go by the orphanage and take some of the children to a lake. But when Lois replied that it wouldn’t be fair unless they took all of them, he decided it was too much.
But a serious car wreck during the following year made him reflect on his life.
“I asked myself what am I doing that’s of any significance,” he said. “We decided we would do something and Wake the World was born.”
The Hodgins held the first Wake the World in 2008 on High Rock Lake with 80 children involved, coming from the Baptist Home in Thomasville and the American Children’s Home in Lexington. There were eight boats on the lake during the two-day affair.
Wake the World has grown each year since, with 130 children from four orphanages riding boats this year on Badin Lake. And the program expanded this year to a site near San Antonio, Texas.
Next year Wake the World promises to double in size once again, with boat rides being offered in Alabama and Tennessee. Other groups in Oklahoma, California, Virginia, South Carolina, Wisconsin and Saskatchewan, Canada, are talking about their own events.
With the quick expansion of Wake the World, the Hodgins are looking to raise more money to put on events and become an official nonprofit organization. They’ve applied with the Pepsi Refresh Everything program and are in the running for a $25,000 grant. That all hinges on how many votes they receive by text or online through Aug. 31.
And that’s not all they have planned.
“Our long-range goal is to have a permanent camp” for orphans, who would spend a few days in the outdoors learning life skills and self-improvement.
When others ask Hodgin about planning a Wake the World event, he tells them it’s not hard. Just find enough volunteers and boats, drum up some donated food and the children will take care of the rest.
He said America’s Roadhouse has provided steaks, potatoes and salads for meals at the North Carolina Wake the World. They also look for help with insurance, goody bags, beverages, ice and Wake the World T-shirts. Ideally, all those would be donated, Hodgin said, but there are expenses involved.
That’s where Wake n Flake comes in. That’s a fund-raiser during which participants pay to wakeboard, have lunch then snowboard in the mountains. The next Wake n Flake is planned for March 6, with boating at Belews Creek Lake, Lake Wylie and Lake Norman, with snowboarding at Appalachian. This year Wake n Flake raised $1,500 with 63 participants.
The North Carolina Wake the World is always held the Monday and Tuesday after Father’s Day because that time is felt appropriate.
“These kids in homes are there because adults in their lives have let them down,” said Hodgin. “This is our chance to show them adults who do care.”
He said Wake the World also intends to let the children know they have options for the future. “They’re going to be making career choices,” he said. “They need positive influence from adults to help guide them in the right direction.”
Taking orphans out on boats is more than about the children, said Hodgin, explaining that everyone involved is affected. “I see adults with tears in their eyes after an amazing day with the kids.”
And families with boats realize how different their own lives could be after observing orphans who are more or less on their own.
“If we’re not taking (the orphans) to the lake, they’re probably not going to get that experience,” Hodgin said. “It gives us the opportunity to share a memory with these kids that they’ll have their whole lives. It’s a lot of work but if you’re passionate about something it doesn’t feel like work.”
