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BADIN LAKE, N.C. -- On the first day of summer, about 150 children who've never been out on the lake, were wakeboarding, tubing and swimming.

Greg Hodgin started "Wake the World" three years ago and his two-day lake adventure has attracted more children and more boaters.

"They're getting a memory on the lake you know that so many of us take for granted," he said from behind the wheel of his own boat.

This year, 19 boats were donated to take the children from 12 to 19 years old out on the water. "We're going out on boats and we're doing wakeboarding," said 15-year-old Logan.

With sandy blonde hair and sun-kissed cheeks, Logan is hesitant with her words. Hodgin said a lot of the teens hide their excitement at the start of the day, but are quick to beam when they hit the water.

"They're really excited and some of them's nervous and kind of scared but a lot of them's excited," she said sheepishly.

Hodgin is a former U.S. Championship Wakeboarder. He has a love of the water and water sports and saw children living in group homes as the most deserving of this experience. "Who else would I be taking?," he said. "I've been taking my kids friends. I've been taking kids from church, these are the kids, that nobody's taking. These are the kids that need to be taken."

The purpose behind his program is simple, but it's not so easy for him to put his passion into words. He chokes back tears as he recalls the man who helped forge his love of the water. "For me growing up, I had an Uncle Jerry that'd take me to the lake," said Hodgin. "He had a place at Lake Tillery and that's where I learned to ski, so we are the Uncle Jerry for these kids."

Through an internet message board, Hodgin connected with Ryan Caroll who lives in Texas. After two years of e-mail and online conversations, Caroll is in North Carolina for "Wake the World" to learn more and take the information home to his new Texas chapter.

"We've got another gentleman here from Ohio, another gentleman from Tennessee and they want to go back and start them in their state too," Caroll said.

For Hodgin, it's about making a difference in the kids' lives, just like Uncle Jerry did for him. "It's a great opportunity to give them a memory that they'll have probably their lifetime," he said.