As the next generation helping lead Cave Country Canoes, I’ve had the chance to watch this business become so much more than a canoe rental. What started as a dream of my moms has turned into a place where people grow up, build confidence, form friendships, and find support during some of the hardest and most important years of their lives. I asked my mom to share a little about why the Canoe Crew Scholarship Foundation means so much to all of us, because the story behind it deserves to be told. Enjoy this story written by Sherri, Owner of Cave Country Canoes. -Allison
In 2026 we are coming into our 5th year of operations as the owners of Cave Country Canoes. We have had some great times and some very lean times. We have had disappointments and surprises every year that we never saw coming. We knew running a seasonal business would be hard, but we hoped it would be fun and improve the quality of our lives.
One of the most unexpected surprises is the relationships we have forged with the people who choose to work here season after season. Cave Country Canoes is a multi-generational operation, and it works so well. Our canoe family’s ages range from 14 to the mid-70s. Everyone that works here has different strengths, talents, abilities, and energy levels! I like to think we are the perfect blend of working smarter and harder. I will say the youth have us outnumbered, and when it comes to tech, even outsmarted, but they still need us.
We hear a lot of “Well, kids today…” As you can imagine, people finish those sentences in a lot of different ways, but our adult staff will tell you: kids today are smart. They want to know how, they want to learn, and they want to earn. They have goals and dreams. They are hungry for experiences, friendships, and fun. They are coming out of pandemic chaos. They have been led to believe that the virtual world is safer than the real world.
Many are raised by grandparents, and many more are dealing with the madness of another generation’s addictions. Cave Country Canoes is in the heart of Milltown, Crawford County, Indiana. The poorest county in the state. Which also means that a lot of our kids are living in the poorest county in the state. The median household income is about $42,000.
In 5 years, 2 of our kids have lost a parent. Many more have had their housing situations flipped upside down, moved schools, moved in with a different parent, or a million other life altering circumstances. We figured out in a flash that the kids really need all of us to show up.
Our first year, we all agreed that we wanted to start a scholarship. The first season, we gave a little over $1,000.00 spread out over a few outstanding kids. Since then, that number has grown significantly. Last year, we also established an emergency fund for kids in crisis.
This year, 2026, we have made it official. We have established the nonprofit Canoe Crew Scholarship Foundation. The recipients of this scholarship are chosen by a team of our adult staff & our newly appointed Scholarship/Non-Profit Board. Applicants must work for Cave Country Canoes, complete the season, demonstrate leadership skills, be a positive role model to their peers, and have a plan for continuing education. That education is not required to be a four-year university. It can be the military, college, trade school, even outdoor wilderness programs – just a plan to keep learning.
We hope this foundation will grow and be able to serve many more kids in our community. We also hope it will become a lasting gift beyond whoever owns and operates Cave Country Canoes. In the past, this scholarship has been fully funded by us at Cave Country, but we knew that we could make this even bigger than what we are capable of on our own. In 2025 we made this a 501c3 Non-Profit so that we could keep this going beyond our time. Now, when you make a reservation online, you will have the opportunity to contribute to this fund. We hope you will, if you can.
- Savannah, 2024 Scholarship Recipient, graduated from Vincennes University in May 2026, and will start her job as an RN in the Cardiac Unit at Baptist Floyd (worked at CCC for 5 seasons)
- Hays, 2025 Scholarship Recipient, is attending Indiana University Kelly School of Business (worked at CCC for 4 seasons)
-Sherri
