Heart of Sailing Foundation

INDIANAPOLIS, September 15, 2008 – International charity, Heart of Sailing, headquartered in Indiana, is coordinating a relief and salvage mission for the residents of Bayland Marina in Baytown, Texas, who have been affected by Hurricane Ike.

Heart of Sailing is a non-profit organization that teaches sailing as a form of recreational therapy for children with developmental disabilities such as autism and Down Syndrome. Bayland Marina, located on the Houston Ship Channel, was in the heart of Ike’s destructive path suffering the brunt of damaging winds and the storm surge. Photos of the destruction are at http://www.houstonpress.com/slideshow/view/142746/13.

Many residents of the marina are now homeless – their boats grounded and the marina destroyed. Several boats used in the Heart of Sailing program have been damaged or destroyed.

Heart of Sailing founder and executive director, George Saidah, sees the relief mission as an opportunity to give back to friends and neighbors. Marina residents remain without electricity, water, or fuel with few available resources. Many also bear the additional burden of not having insurance, due to the difficulty of obtaining boat insurance in the hurricane belt.

Heart of Sailing Foundation is trying to raise $20,000 to fund the relief effort. Saidah has developed a list of necessities, including basics such as batteries and charcoal, which is posted on the Heart of Sailing website – www.heartofsailing.org/baylandneeds.asp. It also welcomes volunteers who can make the trip to Texas to help with the relief effort.

“The Houston-Galveston area has been very generous in its support of our programs for children,” said Saidah who lives in Bloomington. “It’s our turn to give back.”

For more information about the Houston relief mission, contact Linda Johnson at ljohnson@heartofsailing.org, via telephone at 631-901-7151, or log onto www.HeartofSailing.org.

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