US SAILING’s Youth Leadership Initiative
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Jake Fish
US SAILING Communications Manager
jakefish@ussailing.org
PORTSMOUTH, R.I. (August 18, 2010) – US SAILING, the national governing body for the sport, has partnered with several local Providence youth programs and sailing organizations who are dedicated to creating alternative summer educational opportunities. The Fox Point Boys & Girls Club, Washington Park Community Center, and the Community Boating Center at India Point Park have combined resources to make the US SAILING Summer Leadership Initiative a reality. This pilot program, now in its second year, is a collaborative effort with the goal of teaching life lessons to kids through the myriad of skills involved in learning to sail.
“We are excited about the impact this initiative will have on children in the Providence area,” said Chase Hogoboom, US SAILING’s Director of Development. “This program fully supports US SAILING’s goal of introducing the sport to a new audience, while promoting youth sailing at the grass roots level.”
Funded by a grant from the John B. and Nelly Llanos Kilroy Foundation, US SAILING’s Youth Summer Leadership Initiative began on Monday, August 2 and runs through August 26. The 10 to 14 year olds participating in the program are enrolled in the Fox Point Boys & Girls Club and the Washington Park Community Center. The four weeks of sailing lessons, hosted by the Community Boating Center at India Point Park, are conducted by US SAILING certified instructors. On Thursday, August 26, Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whithouse, an avid sailor, will sail with kids on the final day of the program.
CBC Executive Director John O’Flaherty commented, “We are thrilled to serve as a basis for a national model to ensure that community sailing programs nationwide have access to high-quality programming standards for all deserving youth sailors.”
"The experience of sailing is a wonderful contribution towards the beauty of life and of nature,” said Jim Kilroy on behalf of the foundation. “We are pleased to help provide this experience."
“US SAILING and the Community Boating Center have reached out and offered members of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Providence an opportunity to take part in their sailing camp this summer,” said Taylor Jenkins, Fox Point Boys & Girls Club Program Coordinator. “This sailing program has been a great success, and for some, a once in a lifetime experience. Our youth have gained an understanding of responsibility, trust, and teamwork in an alternate way within a setting that is outside of their comfort zone. With each passing week, these kids bring back with them stories, smiles, and memories to take with them and refer to throughout their lives."
For information on how you can help support US SAILING’s Youth Summer Leadership Initiative, please contact Jack Gierhart at jackgierhart@ussailing.org.
About US SAILING
The United States Sailing Association (US SAILING), the national governing body for sailing, provides leadership for the sport in the United States. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, US SAILING is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization. US SAILING offers training and education programs for instructors and race officials, supports a wide range of sailing organizations and communities, issues offshore rating certificates, and provides administration and oversight of competitive sailing across the country, including National Championships and the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.