Yankee Trails

September 2016 - Florida

Yankee Trails

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01 yankeetrails.com | 352.633.4643 The Villages ® Community, FL | September 2016 CLUB OF THE MONTH We at Yankee Trails continue to be amazed by the incredible number of fun, creative clubs and organizations within The Villages community. In an effort to get to know you all, each month, we will be taking the opportunity to feature one of these groups in our "Club of the Month" column. This month, we had the chance to sit down with Don Deakin, one of the founding members of the Barefoot Beachcombers Club. native of South Florida, Don has been living in The Villages since moving from Chicago back in 2003. Don has worn a number of hats throughout his professional career, working as a teacher, house flipper and traveling campground inspector. His new role as Advisor Consultant and Cruise Coordinator for the Barefoot Beachcombers Club has proved to be a rewarding one in his retirement though. Don and his wife, Joan, started the Barefoot Beachcombers Club three years ago. The initial goal of the organization was simple – to provide residents of The Villages with the opportunity to take road trips and enjoy Florida's best beaches. "I grew up going to the beach and I've always loved to travel," Don explained. "Coming back to Florida gave my wife and I the idea to start this club, and it has been a great success thanks to our board of directors." The club's first meeting attracted 80 participants who would charter a bus each month to visit destination beaches in towns like Sarasota and St. Augustine. The group also enjoyed sampling local dining options and checking out sightseeing destinations. Word of these exciting day trips quickly spread around the community and the Beachcombers saw a dramatic increase in membership. "Our second meeting's attendance jumped to 150, and after six months, we had 850 members," explained Don. "We quickly had to grow to 2-3 buses per trip, and moved to a lottery style drawing for reserved spots." Due to such high demand, Don and the Beachcombers began offering extended trips, chartering buses and visiting multiple beaches and entertainment destinations once or twice a year. These trips usually last up to four days and three nights, offering members the chance to take a miniature vacation with their friends, giving them ample time to enjoy what the area has to offer. The group has even teamed up with local churches, making donations to their youth groups in exchange for parking spaces. Once Yankee Trails entered The Villages, Don and the Beachcombers decided to offer members the opportunity to take a yearly cruise through our travel agency. The group took full advantage of Yankee Trails' free bus service, and their Princess Cruise trip was a considered a great success. "We all had such a great time on our first cruise with Yankee Trails," said Don. "We can't wait for our second cruise this year." If you'd like to be considered for an article in one of our upcoming issues, contact our agency manager Mike Rogers at mrogers@yankeetrails.com. A B A R E F O O T B E A C H C O M B E R S C L U B

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