For 18 years, Matthew White considered Camp Orkila his “home away from home.”

Now the Maui resident is using his outdoor expertise to raise $100,000 for the YMCA camp.

“It’s amazing how many different generations of people throughout the Pacific Northwest and the country have been impacted by Camp Orkila,” White said. “You never know where you are going to meet someone who has been to the camp. I was at the grocery store here on Maui this fall and there was a kid with a Camp Orkila sweatshirt on. He had just done one of the kayaking programs.”

In April, White and his girlfriend Skye Marchesi will be journeying along the Inside Passage in “TRIAK” vessels, which are trimaran sailing kayaks. White and Marchesi will be traveling 1,300 miles until they reach Glacier Bay, Ala.

“We are the first expedition to ever use TRIAKS to travel this distance,” White said. “It is innovative craft that is part sea-kayak and part sailing catamaran.”

He is currently at 1 percent of his $100,000 goal. All of the proceeds will go directly to the organization. White hopes others who share his passion for Camp Orkila will give to the cause at www.triakfororkila.com.

“Orkila is so special to me – it is such an inspiring place,” he said. “It has changed so many people’s lives. It’s a place where I grew up.”

The 105-year-old Camp Orkila boasts 285 acres, 3/4 mile of waterfront, more than 100 buildings, a swimming pool, basketball court, barn and horse arena, and a climbing tower. It offers youth and teen summer camp, teen expedition trips, adventure education, family camp weekends, women’s wellness retreats, and environmental education and marine science programs.

White, who was raised in Seattle, first went to the camp as an eight-year-old.

“I will never forget getting on the bus at the Northgate parking lot and as we’re driving away one of the kids tapped me on the shoulder and asked me who the lady was running after the bus. It was my mom, waving goodbye.”

The avid outdoorsman says Camp Orkila was “absolutely magical.” After attending the camp throughout his youth, he returned in 2002 as a counselor. He was also involved in the camp’s Leadership Development Institute.

“We hope you choose to contribute so that campers who could not otherwise afford camp have a chance to experience the life-changing, character-shaping experience of Camp Orkila,” White said.

Orkila executive director Dimitri Stankevich says the money will be put into an endowment for the camp’s teen outdoor expedition programs.

“We’re very excited whenever Camp Orkila alumni get back involved with camp and want to help future generations,” Stankevich. “So many of our alumni have these strong emotional ties to their time as campers.”