goat (Great Outdoor Adventure Trips)

Do you take goats on trips?

You would be surprised how much we get asked this, but to answer the question - No, sadly, we do not.

Where do the kids come from? / How do you find the kids?

Many of our participants come from other groups that we partner with. Group homes/shelters, orphanages, after-school and summer programs, foster groups, mentor groups, and youth groups.

What groups do you work with?

Some groups we have partnered with in the past (and many still do) include: The Boys Home of the South, Generations Group Home, Glenn Springs Academy, The Boys and Girls Club, The Boys Farm, Building Dreams, Graduate Greenville, Greenville Mental Health, Upstate Circle of Friends, Camp Opportunity, and the Frazee Center.

Where do you go?

It really depends on the trip and the group. All of our rafting trips are currently on the Nantahala River in Bryson City, NC and many of our climbing trips are at Crowders Mountain in Gastonia, NC. Hiking and backpacking trips take place all over Upstate SC and Western North Carolina (Jones Gap, Panthertown Valley, Nantahala National Forest, Pisgah National Forest, etc...)

Is this just a summer program? / Do you do year-round trips?

We currently offer trips during our 10 week summer program when public schools are on summer break, as well as a limited amount of trips over spring break. Summer allows us to be most effective and concentrate our efforts and expenses to provide the best possible trips to the most participants.

What do you do the rest of the year?

About 80% of our participants get to come for free so we spend a lot of time raising scholarship funds as well as scheduling groups, training volunteers or interns, and building relationships with the kids we work with or will work with during our summer season.

How old do the kids have to be?

Because of our insurance, participants must be at least 12 years old.

How many kids do you take (total and per trip)?

We try to keep our trip sizes smaller to have intentional time with each participant and also to consolidate transportation costs. This keeps our trips right around 10-15 students per trip. For the 2010 summer we were able to serve nearly 300 students.

How do the kids qualify?

We don't really turn anyone away. That's the goal at least. The groups we work most closely with are typically already qualified by being a part of the group we work with, but if we can find room in the schedule, anyone is welcome with us.

Do the kids get to come back for other trips?

Many of the groups we work with will come on multiple trips. This allows us to build relationships with the kids who enjoy these activities and choose to come back. We also allow any participants to signup for any other trips that their group may not be participating in when our schedule allows.

Where/How do you get funding?

Currently GOAT is funded 90% by private donations from our generous donors who believe in these experiences for our participants. The other 10% comes from program fees for groups that do actually pay for trips.

My kids aren?t "at-risk" can they still go?

Absolutely! We have a number of "community" trips that are open signups for anyone who would like to come. We also schedule full trips for community organized groups. Feel free to check out of calendar and shoot us an email or use the signup form and we'll get with you as soon as we can.

How many people are on the board? / Who is on the board?

You can find more about our board here.