ALL HANDS ON DECK - an article written by Paul Bersebach in the Orange County Register on November 28-2011 - click here to read
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Great After Thanksgiving Sails program gets more popularity for it's second year
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As many of you have heard, our organization suffered a tremendous loss on March 27 when a boat I was sailing capsized for unknown reasons in the San Diego Bay. Tragically, two men, Jun and
Xinchao Chen did not survive. I am grief-stricken over this terrible event and want to offer my deepest condolences to the friends and families of these two wonderful men. The safety and welfare of our sailing children and their families remains my top concern and I appreciate the support of the thousands of Daysail participants that I’ve come to know over the years. Please e-mail me directly any questions or concerns and I will do my best to respond.
Sailing in Indianapolis on July 16, 17 and 18th, Chicago on July 24, 25, 26 and 27th for the first time, Madison WI on July 30, 31, August 1, 2 and 3rd, to celebrate our 5th year Anniversary and our 10,000th sailor
March 12 - Heart of Sailing becomes a National Organizational Sponsor for Abilities Expos in 2010
Expos in Los Angeles, NY Metro (Edison, NJ), Chicago (Schaumburg), Houston and Atlanta. Read More
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March 12 - Wines for Autism Online Sales to Support Therapeutic Sailing - Download Press Release
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March 4, 2010 - The Points of Light Institute and the Daily Point of Light Award Committee has awarded Heart of Sailing founder, George Saidah, the "Daily Point of Light Award". Read it here - Download the Press Release
Last article of the year about our Daysails in Destin Florida written by Angel McCurdy in the North West Florida Daily News on December 24. You could read it online here or as a pdf here
Captain George Saidah is the 2009 Latitudes & Atitudes "Seafaring Person of the Year" for his dedication to Special Needs People at the Heart of Sailing Foundation!!!! You can read it at page 114-116 of the November issue or here
November 1st, Sail-a-thon & Resource Fair in San Diego, CA - Pictures
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October 3rd, Maiden Voyage in San Juan, Puerto Rico
Heart of Sailing Puerto Rico invites you to
Share and Sail Emotions!
With Stars: Singer Christian Castro & Actor Xavier Torres
At the Yacht Club in Palmas Del Mar
From 10:30am to 3:00pm
Admission Contribution $25
Call (787) 761-5780 for more information Pictures
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September 26th, Benefit Concert in Setauket, NY
We would like to encourage everyone to “Save the Date” on September 26 th, 5-10pm for a benefit concert at Benner’s Farm in Setauket. The benefit is a family friendly event with great music (and food) and a really special atmosphere. Two bands will be performing including a local group called Easy Chief, and a washboard swing band from Hoboken called the 4 th Street Nite Owls (google them, they are great!). Tickets are discounted if you buy them in advance, so feel free to contact me for more information ljohnson@HeartofSailing.org. All proceeds go to Heart of Sailing New York!
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September 13th, Sail-a-thon and Resource Fair in Bellingham, WA
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September 5th, Pirate themed Sail-a-thon and Resource Fair in Portland, OR
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Dana Point, California- August 3, 2009 - NauticEd and the Heart of Sailing Foundation today announced multiple initiatives designed to enrich, strengthen and expand non-profit sailing programs benefiting children and adults with special needs. Read more
This past weekend in Portland , Oregon , Heart of Sailing set a personal record for the most participants ever in a weekend Daysail event.
From Friday July 10 through Sunday, July 12 more than 245 attendees from 68 families sailed with our volunteer crew during a special event sponsored by our partners and friends, Eric Hamblen and Kathi Calouri from PACE Place. The event could not have been a success without the equipment and assistance provided by long-time Sponsor and volunteer De Henderson, the owner of Island Sailing Club. Staff members included Josh, Rhys, Britt and Alan (who also served as Captain). read more
Please mark your calendar for September 5th for our next event in Portland, where we will be offering more free sailboat rides, free lunch, outdoor games and craft at our Resource Fair, courtesy of PACE Place, Island Sailing Club and Columbia Crossings.
Please stay tuned as we are scheduling more events nationwide to celebrate the end of the sailing season.
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Arcturus Advisors Secures Software Donation from NetSuite, Inc for Heart of Sailing Foundation. Read more
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HEART OF SAILING SETS EVENT RECORD
This past weekend in Portland , Oregon , Heart of Sailing set a personal record for the most participants ever in a weekend Daysail event.
From Friday July 10 through Sunday, July 12 more than 245 attendees from 68 families sailed with our volunteer crew during a special event sponsored by our partners and friends, Eric Hamblen and Kathi Calouri from PACE Place. The event could not have been a success without the equipment and assistance provided by long-time Sponsor and volunteer De Henderson, the owner of Island Sailing Club. Staff members included Josh, Rhys, Britt and Alan (who also served as Captain).
Thanks also to Island Sailing Club member John Barba, who served as a volunteer captain.
The event was held at the Columbia Crossings, who graciously let us use their facility for the event – no small feat given the number of participants for this special occasion! With such a large number of attendees, organization and logistics were crucial.
Please mark your calendar for September 5th for our next event in Portland, where we will be offering more free sailboat rides courtesy of PACE Place, Island Sailing Club and Columbia Crossings.
Please stay tuned as we are scheduling more events nationwide to celebrate the end of the sailing season.
On the busiest days (Saturday and Sunday) multiple boats captained by our volunteers and Heart of Sailing Founder George Saidah made numerous sailing trips so that all the participants could enjoy a Daysail.
While waiting their turn to sail, families enjoyed games, entertainment, and refreshments provided by the following volunteers from Arin’s House (A teen Center in Beaverton, OR). Our appreciation to: Allyson Jameson, Hussein Nur, Mohamed Nur, Yusuf Sharif, Boon Jossa, Bryanna Dixon, Taylor Calouri-Hamblen and Luke Hamblen
A special thank you to Kathy Henley from ARRO, who supplied all the signage for the event!
Each summer we continue to see the growth of Heart of Sailing, and the impact it has on the lives of children and the families who sail with us. We could not do it without our wonderful, dedicated, generous volunteers, sponsors, and donors.
Thank you for continuing to help us fulfill our mission to share our love of sailing as recreational therapy for those with developmental disabilities and their families.
EXCITEMENT & ADVENTURE LAUNCHED THE 2009 SAILING SEASON
Captain George continues his adventures as Heart of Sailing’s Ambassador, traveling from state to state (and internationally) developing chapter locations for Heart of Sailing’s Daysail program. After the Houston/Galveston area was devastated by Hurricane Ike, Captain George and loyal volunteers and friends of Heart of Sailing rallied to put Zephyr back in the water, the boat originally used for that chapter. After successful efforts, Captain George embarked on a voyage to transfer Zephyr from her destroyed home, the former Bayland Marina. Along with crewmember, Janeane, he departed Seabrook, Texas bound for St. Petersburg, Florida so that Zephyr could be utilized in the ambassador voyages and Daysails in Florida. The original trip plan was anticipated to be 7-10 days but mother nature and the sea proved very challenging. Captain George and Janeane were hampered by engine failure, storms and rough seas, and damage to the keel which threatened to sink the boat and required them to pump water continuously for 3 days. Damaged and exhausted, they sailed into Key West after 13 days at sea. Since that time, the crew has been high and dry in Key West waiting on completion of repairs to Zephyr. On Saturday, with Zephyr in beautiful condition, Captain George will begin resuming Daysails in Key West, and on Monday working his way up the coast of Eastern Florida. Visit the website for more information or to register for the Florida Daysails (which, by the way, are nothing like a blue water crossing for all of those curious in participating). In the next few months, Captain George and Janeane will be posting a story and photos about their adventure crossing the Gulf of Mexico.
Heart of Sailing is proud to announce that we now have 40 Chapters across the US and Canada, and are grateful for the continuing interest and support. Changes to the website are anticipated later this spring to facilitate online registration and Daysail management for Chapter Directors and participants. More information will follow. We look forward to seeing you soon and sharing the therapeutic benefits of sailing!
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Happy Holidays
It’s that magical time of the year again! 2008 has been yet another historic year at Heart of Sailing Foundation. We have grown dramatically and we are thrilled more and more children and families have become involved with our organization. Check out our Little Heart newsletter for all of the details!
We have this unique way for you to join with us this holiday season; light a bulb to show your support of Heart of Sailing at the San Diego Boat Light parade! Our 49ft. sailboat “Friendship” will be proudly sailing in this spectacular boat parade. For every $1 contribution we receive from now until December 21, we will light a bulb to represent your family.After you light a blub add your personal dedication to our “holiday gratitude” webpage. Click here to view more
At Heart of Sailing, summer is truly sailing by. Sure, we know it isn’t “officially” summer for another week, but we’ve certainly been filling up the days with sailing adventures in several different regions. Have you sailed with us yet this season? If not, click the Sail With Us link to view available dates in a location near you.
In May, Heart of Sailing presented again at the annual Autism One Conference in Chicago, where actress and author Jenny McCarthy was the keynote speaker. It was the second appearance for Heart of Sailing at the conference, and we were pleased to meet so many more families.
Heart of Sailing has received another boat donation! At the end of May, Captain George traveled to the St. Louis area to pick-up a beautiful 25 ft. Ericson which was donated by David Mitchell. The boat will be used in the Indiana regional programs.
Summer fun continues as Heart of Sailing is partnering with Happy Hollow Day camp to assist with sailing instruction in a smaller dinghy donated by Brad Rice and Ross Griffith. Visit the Happy Hollow website at http://happyhollowcamp.net to learn more.
In June, Heart of Sailing was honored to learn we had been selected by Angel Funding and The Shining Star Project to receive support and a grant in the amount of $2,500. Volunteer Program Director Amber Burton Small attended a dinner at Scholar’s Inn in Bloomington to receive the award on behalf of HoS. Amber enjoyed meeting the founder of Angel Funding, Rob Hanrahan, as well as the committed young men of Sigma Phi Epsilon who are managing the programs. We will have more information about Angel Funding and The Shining Star Project in an upcoming newsletter.
Heart of Sailing celebrates inaugural voyages in Jacksonville, Florida!
The weekend of March 15-16, 2008, Captain George traveled to Jacksonville, Florida in order to introduce Heart of Sailing’s Daysail Program. George and the participants were hosted by Captain Peter Roach, who was assisted by his father, also named Peter. They were gracious in volunteering their time and beautiful sailing vessel 'Grace' to take George and the participants for an incredible sailing adventure.
Of particular note on Sunday were participants Dr. Julie Buckley and Dr. Jerry Kartzinel, who were preceded on Saturday by their staff, Laurie and Brooke, and families. Later, Dr. Buckley extended her hospitality, hosting George for dinner with her family on Tuesday.
Drs. Buckley and Kartzinel were impressed by the Daysail Program, and are interested in helping spread awareness and provide great connections for George, to facilitate the possible creation of a regional program in the Jacksonville area. The doctors have proposed ideas for a sailing camp, which HEAL would sponsor. Please stay tuned for more information on this developing program. If you are in the area and are interested in volunteering or participating with the Daysail program or sailing camp, please email Captain George at gsaidah@heartofsailing.org and reference Jacksonville in your subject line.
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Heart of Sailing has Spring Fever! The month of January and February have passed so quickly, with Captain George traveling non-stop on his current promotional tour!
Our chapters in the Midwest and on the East Coast are counting down until the weather is warm enough to launch the new season. In anticipation of our busiest year ever, we have created a new MySpace page for our friends, volunteers, and participants to connect, share stories and comments, and access related resources. Please join our friends' list by selecting the following link:
"Click the here to listen to George Saidah's French language interview recorded during Phare Ouest as featured on Radio Canada with Julie Carpenter.
23 janvier 2008
Entretien en langue Française avec Julie Carpentier durant l'emission Phare Ouest sur Radio Canada pour les francophones de la Colombie-Britannique et du Yukon.
Des jeunes handicapés mentaux deviennent navigateur d'1 jour
Avec: George SAIDAH, Fondateur de l'association "Au coeur de la voile"Écoutez
The Autism Research & Resources of Oregon (ARRO) arranged a Panel Discussion about Heart of Sailing and Donilee McGinnis and her brother David's Daysail experience.
Heart of Sailing wants to take this opportunity to express our sincere condolences for those affected by the devastating California fires.
Disasters like this are reminders to us of the importance of family and community. Now more then ever it is important to continue to provide fun and therapeutic activities for the families we serve.
We remain committed to the growth of our California Chapters and appreciate your help and support.
Heart of Sailing, is pleased to announce preparations for a sailing clinic in conjunction with Indiana Special Olympics to be held on October 7, 2007 at Lake Monroe.
This is the premiere cooperative event hosted by Heart of Sailing and Indiana Special Olympics.Sailing regattas have historically been included annually in Special Olympics athletics competitions in coastal regions, but have not previously been part of the Indiana Special Olympics competitions.
In anticipation of the competitive event, Heart of Sailing will be hosting sailing clinics to teach sailing to youth with developmental disabilities and special needs.The instructional clinics will be held at three (3) separate locations:Geist Reservoir, Monroe Reservoir and Lake Lemon.The clinics will provide basic sailing and navigation training to preparethose interested in participating in the Regatta.The sailing clinics will involve 20 special needs youths and 20 sailboats with volunteers to assist with the training.
Training will culminate the day of the Regatta, with family and friends invited to view the race, enjoy a picnic as well as an optional Daysail.Regatta participants will also receive special recognition.
Sailing has a different connotation to many of us: pleasure, racing, and passage making. To a child with special needs, sailing is a new experience, a freedom and relaxation rarely found in every day life. Read more...
June was extremely busy this year, launching the new season for few chapters, starting 3 new ones, and launching our first Sail-a-thon.
June 2005 was our first sail. We only had one boat and one location. Today, 2 years later, we own 6 boats and operate in 12 different locations.
Montreal was a huge success. Everyone that participated saw the benefits of sailing and is now spreading the word and recruiting participants. Read more...
Boston was much easier to work with. The decision makers at Courageous Sailing Center had already worked with the cognitively impaired, and were very receptive about including our program in their youth program few times this year. We had a very successful maiden voyage and trained 5 of their captains that will take our participants sailing this summer.
Surf City, New Jersey was a great success with Andy Matthews, our Chapter Director, and the new addition to the fleet. WhiteCap, a 30 foot, 1924 wooden sailboat, from Tukerton Seaport, restored to new condition. Please read the article mentioned above to know more about this wonderful weekend.
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May 25-27
Heart of Sailing attended the fifth annual Autism One Conference held recently at the Westin O’Hare in Chicago. The theme of this year’s conference, one of the largest of its kind in the world, was Roadmap to Recovery. Nearly 70 exhibitors represented diverse companies and not-for-profit organizations offering information and resources in areas of biomedical treatment, education, therapy, and legal resources.
In addition to approximately 150 featured presentations from such noted experts as Dr. Andrew Wakefield and Dr. Martha Herbert, attendees could attend workshops and roundtable discussions or be connected with a Mentor Mom.
HoS Executive Director George Saidah and Program Director Amber Burton Small presented their special feature, The Benefits of Sailing Therapy on Saturday, May 26, 2007. The conference was an excellent opportunity to network with other providers, spread awareness about our Daysail Program and make connections for new regions for expansion.
There were attendees from across the country as well as Canada and France, and we were impressed by the interest in starting chapters in Chicago, Milwaukee, Portland, Oregon and Long Island, New York. Our thanks to our new friends, including Anthony Morgali, Eric Hamblen, Bonnie Bromeyer, and Mary Webster. Special thanks to Dr. F. Edward and Maureen Yazbak, as well as Ed and Teri Arranga.
Download our latest PowerPoint Presentation (Right click on the link and choose 'Save Target As' to download to your computer)
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Visit our booth at the Mental Health Fair
Rancho Santa Fe Community Center
5590 La Sendita, Rancho Santa Fe, California
Saturday May 12th 2007
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Visit our booth at the AUTISM ONE 2007 CONFERENCE in Chicago
Friday, May 25 to Sunday, May 27 2007
Amber and George are speaking Saturday 26 at 10:30 to 11:20
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Participate in our Sail-a-thon, a fun way to celebrate summer and help Heart of Sailing fund more Daysails
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Tune in to Autism One Radio on Thursday May 10 at 2pm ET to listen to our monthly broadcast
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Most of our locations will kick off the sailing season in June. Please check our schedule and register to go sailing with us.
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We received a new grant from Nina Mason Pulliam Foundation for our Indianapolis Daysail Program.
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Tune in to Autism One Radio on Thursday April 12 at 2pm ET to listen to our monthly broadcast
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We received a new grant from Lilly Endowment for our Indianapolis Daysail Program.
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Newest location - March 2007 - North-Montreal, QC Canada
Club Nautique Deux Montagnes
George Saidah and Amber Small host our "Second Thursday of every month" broadcasts from sunny San Diego California. Tune in to Autism One Radio on Thursday 8 March at 2pm ET.
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Heart of Sailing introduced its Daysail program to San Diego on March 3&4. Continuing with development of the Southern California region, San Diego became the first stop due to overwhelming requests from parents and participants, some of whom had made the long drive to Dana Point for the region launch last October. Hosted by the friendly Silver Gate Yacht Club on Shelter Island, the inaugural weekend began Saturday with blue skies and warm temps. Sailing out into the San Diego Bay, participants enjoyed watching the seals lazing about on the channel buoys, and were thrilled by the many helicopters frequently flying about.
Shelter Island is actually a man-made peninsula formed from a sand bar developed by the city in the 1950’s. It is now a 1.2 mile stretch of beautiful marinas, hotels, and parks. Silver Gate Yacht Club was formed in 1952, and its members are not only committed to boating, but to community service as well. Since 1960, Silver Gate has hosted an annual Wheelchair Regatta offering boat tours of the San Diego bay, utilizing dozens of volunteers including representatives of the local military branches. Silver Gate has also been active in fundraising for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Their focus on assisting non-profit organizations was a great match for helping Heart of Sailing introduce special needs sailing to San Diego. The weekend could not have been a success without the generosity and assistance of Silver Gate and its members. Special thanks to all at SGYC, including Commodore Dave Lancaster, the Officers, Board of Directors and Port Captain Tony DiLeva. Over the weekend, Heart of Sailing completed 4 Daysails with more than 20 participants and family members enjoying the opportunities. Not only did Captain George expertly sail the 27’ Morgan donated to HoS, but he also served as Galley Cook, preparing lunch for the hungry crew and participants, who were able to picnic on the boat and get acquainted. In addition to our wonderful participants, the star of the weekend’s activities was Ivy, the adventurous and outgoing cat belonging to our Program Director. Her outgoing personality and fondness for the boat delighted the participants. Upon departing San Diego, the crew returns to Dana Point to prepare for the next leg of the Southern California Ambassador Program with future events in Oxnard, Ventura, Santa Barbara and Marina del Rey. For more information about our new locations or to sail with us, please visit the link “Sail with Us” at our website: www.heartofsailing.org. Contact us by email at news@heartofsailing.org for any question or if you have a story to send to us
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George and Amber to be featured on Conversation of Hope hosted by Betsy Hicks on Autism One Radio Tuesday, February 20 at 9am Pacific (12pm Eastern).Click for info.
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2007 is starting on an extremely good note for Heart of Sailing.
We received a Grant from the Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation for the New Jersey Chapter, we got 3 new sponsors, we are starting Heart of Sailing Canada, and are starting 2 new Chapters in Boston, MA and Montreal, QC Canada.
George Saidah and Amber Small host our first radio show
Heart of Sailing is pleased to announce the first broadcast of its new monthly show on Autism One Radio. Autism One is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization started by a small group of parents of children with autism to address three areas: education, advocacy, and fundraising. Parents are and must remain the driving force of our community, the stakes are too high and the issues too sacred to delegate to outside interests. Their website offers educational information and resources as well as a digital radio broadcasts on numerous topics. Heart of Sailing is honored to be able to share information about our Daysail program and therapy services in this unique and important forum. The program will be eventually be broadcast in 4 languages, allowing us to expand our international and community reach. Our first program features interviews, including HOS Founder & Executive Director, George Saidah, as well as some other media clips and a recap of the 2005 season. Tune in on December 7 at 2pm until 2:30pm ET. Stay tuned for information about our upcoming monthly broadcasts. Topics, contributions, and information for future shows may be e-mailed to: AutismOneRadio@heartofsailing.org
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And now in Houston, TX for a few days.
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GEORGE HITS THE AIRWAVES!
While in California, Thanks to Dr. F. Edward Yazbak MD, HoS met with Teri Small and her husband, Ed Arranga, the Founder of Autism One, to discuss ways to reach out and inform the parents of children with autism about Heart of Sailing and the therapeutic benefits of our program. We are happy to report that the meeting went very well, and Ed and Teri, who are very active in autism awareness have offered George his own monthly radio talkshow at Autism One radio station, which will be broadcast in 4 languages, including English, French, Spanish and Arabic. With approximately 30,000 listeners, HoS will be able to broaden our reach and increase interest, while providing parents and caregivers with another valuable resource. Autism One hosts an annual conference in Chicago over Memorial Weekend. HoS has been invited to attend the annual conference for May 2007. Stay tuned for more information about George’s new talkshow and how you can tune in!
George went to Dana Point with the goal of looking at the 27 foot Morgan that was donated to Heart of Sailing by Paula Gray from Shore Breeze Realty & Equity, Inc. and figure out how to run a program in Southern California, a completely new ground (or waters) for HoS.
George met with members of the Bellingham Yacht Club as well as Terri, the Vice Commodore, and Ken, the Fleet Captain. Thanks to Laurene, a Bellingham resident mother of Garrett that went sailing with us in Seattle last August, who organized the meeting and thanks for her willingness to participate in the efforts to start a chapter and run some fundraising activities, we are very close to start a program in Bellingham next spring with the generosity of few members that are offering their time, boat and their expertise.
Second visit to Seattle more successful than the first one. We sailed with Curtis and Cynthia Woods on their gorgeous 52' Irwin with an enclosed center cockpit that helped tremendously with the cold and rainy weather.
Their hospitality proved one more time that the sailing community is extremely generous with their time and their vessels to help us conduct the best sailing conditions possible for our participants. We were served coffee, tea and hot chocolate while sailing to keep everyone warm, and we were offered gloves, hats, jackets... to feel comfortable.
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ANNAPOLIS BOAT SHOW
We attended the Sail Only Boat Show in Annapolis Maryland October 6-8 and networked with representatives of manufacturers including Hunter, Dufour, Beneteau, Colgate, Fontaine Pageau, West Marine, Sun Sail, and RayMarine to seek sponsorship and equipment. Ideally, HoS will be able to negotiate a deal to acquire sailboats such as the Hunter 216, which has the perfect size cockpit for our program. If we are able to build a fleet of same-type boats, we will be able to get a better deal from the manufacturer, improve consistency and performance, as well as reduce maintenance costs. You can help – write the companies to encourage them to support Heart of Sailing. The public’s endorsement can be critical!
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Article written by Susan Montgomery in the Offshore Magazine.
Leaving Long Beach Island, New Jersey, after 6 days spent on the island. We had a very warm welcome by the members of the Surf City Yacht Club as well as from the parents of our participants. George mentioned that it was similar to his experience in the Caribbean last December. We were offered to stay in the first floor of two story house for as long as we wanted by Kevin, father of Liam that participated in our Sunday Daysail. The house is at the end of West 11th street, one block from the yacht club, with a fantastic Bay view and a private beach in front. We took advantage of our stay to meet with different members of the SCYC to plan next year sailing season. More meetings are planned at the end of September to get the approval of the SCYC board to let us use their facility to sail once a week next summer, and it seems that everyone was very excited about our program. The skippers that helped us out with their own boats, as well as the Commodore of the club, were very pleased sharing their love of sailing and felt very rewarded by the few hours spent sailing with our participants. They warmly asked to be included in our Daysail next season.
Thanks to Jim Coughlin, SCYC Commodore, Andy Matthews, Chris Scales, Newt Wattis, Tom Green, the Pearce family, Letty Thomas, Mark Behr, and everyone else at the club.
Andy Matthews, who read the Sand Paper article written by Susan Montgomery, contacted us to offer himself, his time, his boat and help organizing the event. He was the key to our success, coordinating everyone's efforts at the club, skippering his 22' O'Day sailboat and offering it for George to use while he was away on Sunday and Monday. That is something extremely rare from a boat owner, especially when we just met few hours ago.
Thanks to the McDermott family who opened their house for us warmly and generously. Kevin and Marnie, parents of Liam and Nora, offered for us to stay as long as we needed in Kevin's parent's home. They attended to every small detail, regardless of Kevin's long work hours, for us to feel at home and enjoy our stay to the maximum. It was a very nice stay, felt like vaccationing in our own place.
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September 17-18, 2006
We had a few very successful Daysails, writer and photographer aboard sailing with us, capturing live what our participants feel like and even had our first child near fall in the water. Fortunately, Hees, 10 years old, hung on to the life line and was hoisted back aboard by his uncle Ben without any harm.
We arrived to Long Beach Island, New Jersey, on Friday the 15th, an hour after the island was completely flodded by 8" of rain. This did not happen once in the last 50 years, but the skies cleared up and the wind wound down for our Saturday afternoon sail.
Thanks to our overwhelming response and success in Seattle last August, we are invited back to sail again this October, and invited to introduce our program in Bellingham, WA and Vancouver, Canada. It will be our first Daysail outside the United States...
Pleasecontact us if you are interested in sailing, volunteering or sponsoring us in any of the events.
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We sailed twice in 3 locations on the same day. Indianapolis, Bloomington and Seattle on the 23rd of August with 19 children, and Indianapolis, Bloomington and Houston on the 30th of August with 16 children, thanks to our volunteer skippers Dan Bergin, Larry Scott, Steve Miller, John Winninger, Keith Taylor, Guy Konckle and George Saidah as well as organizers and crew members, youngest and most positive 12 years old Sean Murphy, Lori Wylie and Donna Long.
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August 29 to September 1, 2006
Few very nice Daysails with Dolphins in the Galveston Bay, Houston, Texas
We introduced our Daysails in Seattle in August and had an overwhelming response. Windworks Sailing Center donated the second 36' sailboat for the day to accomodate all the registrants, and unfortunately had to turn away a number of families due to lack of time, sailboats and skippers. Thanks to everyone that sailed with us, we are preparing another trip to Seattle at the end of September.
We concluded this summer special collaborative program with Agape' Therapeutic Riding Center,
entitled Rosie Sails the High Seas. We are looking forward to offer it again next year.
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We will be introducing our Daysails in Seattle in August, in Long Beach New Jersey and Springfield Missouri in September in addition to sailing in Indiana and Houston.
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Great article in the Aug.9 edition of The Sand Paper - a news magazine on Long Beach Island, NJ written by Susan Montgomery.
We were on TV on Thursday 20th of July at 10pm and on Friday 21st of July at 8pm on the Weekly Special Show of WTIU.
John, Ann, Jason and Elise from WTIU sailed with us and filmed our Friday 14th Daysail. We had 2 sailboats full of participants and a Cabin Cruiser that was used to film from and for interviews.
We’ll take you sailing, and show you how a program on Lake Monroe is helping boost the confidence of special needs kids.
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July 10 2006, Cheers and Jeers - From staff reports - Baytown Sun
To Heart of Sailing, an organization which gave four special needs youngsters a chance to sail out of Baytown’s Bayland Marina.
As one parent said, so many disabled kids get isolated and don’t get to do many things as non-disabled children.
But with more groups like Heart of Sailing, that could soon be a thing of the past.
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We made the front page again... Ken fountain and Nickki Evans from the Baytown Sun sailed with us and wrote what they experienced.
Program allows special-needs kids to sail With some hesitation, each of the children sat behind the wheel to steer the 32-foot sailboat around the upper reaches of Galveston Bay. July 8 2006, The Baytown Sun Front Page.
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We were on WISH TV8 on July 3rd at 6:20am, 7:30am and 5:30pm, thanks to Dick Wolfsie who participated in our first Daysail on June 14, 2006 at Geist.
This is more than a story about a man who loves to sail. While he is making waves, he is also making a difference.
We made the front page again. This time, it is in the Baytown Sun before we even get to Texas...
Program to benefit special needs kids.
Children with cognitive disabilities have fewer opportunities to take control of things. July 1 2006, The Baytown Sun Front page
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We are preparing our next Maiden Voyage in Houston for Friday July 7th and we are hoping to continue the same track record.
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The success continues on our second week of sailing with the 2006 maiden voyage in Bloomington, Indiana. Jeremy Hogan from the Herald Times sailed with us on Friday morning and, once again, we made the Front Page... June 24 2006, The Herald-Times Front page
The season started with a double bang in Indiana. Dick Wolfsie from Channel 8 came to our first Daysail on Wednesday 14th of June, and Bill Fouts from the Noblesville Daily Times sailed with us on our 2006 Maiden Voyage on the 16th of June at Geist in Indianapolis Indiana. We made the Front Page... June 17 2006, Fishers Weekly Front page
Heart of Sailing receives grants for 2006 from Autism Advocates of Indiana, Inc., Lilly Endowment, Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust, Westmarine, UBS, Kroger and many more...
