A Luxury For Some, a Necessity for Anokijig

Like many non-profits, Anokijig has a long list of things we need to help provide a wonderful experience for our campers (not the least of which is a generous donor, who would like to help pay off our bank loans).  When we first saw these golf carts a few years ago, we thought the big tires were just for showing off and didn't think they actually served a purpose.  As we've acquired a few golf carts over the years at Camp, we've come to realize they do have a functional purpose, at least at Anokijig.  This particular cart is an ST Express, manufactured by EZ-GO, but other manufacturers make similar versions.

Anyone who has ever visited Anokijig can tell you our terrain can be very hilly and some of our roads can be quite rocky.  The golf carts we have now do an admirable job of handling that terrain, but many times they are just not up to the task.  Our golf carts have tires that were designed not to tear up well-manicured grass, not scramble over a rocky hillside on the way to a tent section.  Bottoming out on rocks and flat tires at Anokijig are not uncommon.

Our golf carts are also limited in their seating capacity at four, while this cart has three rows of seating.  This is especially important when families are at Anokijig.  We frequently shuttle families to and from sections on check-in day and we're often limited in what we can carry.  Sometimes there's only enough room for mom, dad and some luggage.  There is also a big need on family weekends, when larger families need help moving around camp or from remote parking during our special events.

We don't expect someone will read this blog today and we'll have a new golf cart at our doorstep tomorrow, but we at least want to put the information out there, so folks know there is a need.  Someone may know a person who has one of these carts, but rarely uses it and might be interested in making a tax-deductible donation.  We suspect this cart might be similar to the RTV that was donated by Ken and Melody Cavan a few years ago.  We never had an RTV before, so we didn't recognize the specific need for it.  Now that we have one, we don't know how we ever survived without it.

If you know someone who has one of these carts or a dealer or manufacturer, please tell them about Anokijig and help us better serve the children and families who visit us!