First I want to THANK YOU ALL for making this possible!! It's wonderful to see so many people appreciating my dad as much as I do and helping us with this gift!

After two months of secrecy (extremely difficult in the family) we FINALLY surprised my dad with the amount raised! We had planned to have a small barbecue with some friends last Sunday but secretly invited all of you that could make it to attend as well. Although my dad was surprised to see so many of you (around 20 people), he still had no clue why everyone was around. After dinner, we announced that we were all here to celebrate his awesomeness and presented him with a card explaining everyone's participation in raising funds for a new canoe. In addition, we decorated one of his canoe paddles with all your messages and names on notecards. He thanked everyone but he still did not understand what was happening until he reread the card and finally realised he was going to be able to replace his canoe! He was so surprised and grateful and could not believe that we all kept this secret for two months! This was the reaction we were going for :)

We will be traveling as a family to Kontanz this weekend to purchase the canoe and will keep you posted on what he picks out! Thank you again for all the love and support. This is a gift he will be able to enjoy for years to come and will remind him of all of you every time he takes it in the water. Thank you so much and I hope to see you all taking a ride in the new canoe once it is home!

Best,

Jeanne