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 Thanks
to an altruistic gift from grand prize raffle winner, Michael Troy of
Midtronics, Inc. at the 2005 LETR/CARQUEST Golf Tournament in Raleigh,
Carl Hibbert Jr. was able to say "Aloha" to his dream destination.
It took a couple more acts of great kindness to make the dream reality.
The August trip Peggy Hibbert, Carl's mom, and Carl Jr. had planned included
a REI Adventure Tour on the island of Kauai. The free airline tickets
however, were exclusively for trips within the Continental United States.
Before scrapping their idea, CARQUEST and Cardinal Travel Co. worked to
get permission and exchange the tickets to include travel to Hawaii. The
once-in-a- lifetime trip of 10 days in Hawaii was on!
"It was just a fabulous experience," said Peggy Hibbert. "Hawaii
was so beautiful, we got to see and do so much."
The Hibberts spent the first two days on the Big Island visiting the
Volcanoes National Park before flying to Kauai to begin their REI Adventure
Tour. The next six days and five nights, the Hibberts camped, hiked, snorkeled
and kayaked around the Garden Island.
"Carl had a ball," said Peggy. "The guides were so impressed.
Carl set up his own tent on the beach. He went on long nature hikes and
he kayaked the entire Na Pali coast which they tell me can be the equivalent
of climbing Mount Everest!"
The kayak trip was a 17 mile trek against tough ocean currents and strong
headwinds in places. Carl paddled with tour guide Josh Comstock and three
other boats. The group saw a tremendous amount of sea life including several
dolphins that escorted the group for 15 miles of the trip. The two also
encountered a curious Monk seal (one of 1500 left in the world).
"I've never been on a trip where we saw that much sea life,"
said Comstock. "Kayaking with Carl was the highlight of the week
for me. He was so upbeat the entire trip and most folks give up when the
going gets rough. He was just a great team member."
"Kayaking was great," said Carl. "The ocean was unbelievable!
We had the best time!"
Carl and his mom also got up close and personal with several majestic
sea turtles and many colorful and exotic fish on the trip. The Hibberts
finished off their vacation with a visit to Pearl Harbor and more snorkeling
all while staying in an ocean-front room at the Waikiki Marriott Resort,
a sister hotel of the Courtyard Marriott in Raleigh where Carl Jr. works
as a caterer.
"The whole experience surpassed our wildest dreams," said Peggy.
"I'm so thankful we got this opportunity! We just had a great time!"
Special thanks to the NC-LETR, CARQUEST, Cardinal Travel and Michael
Troy for their support of Special Olympics North Carolina athletes!
Nominate a person to be featured in "Spotlight On" -Contact
Leah Sundheim at 1-800-843-6276,
ext. 110.
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