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2008

Latest News

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Volunteer Captain Andy Matthews helps raising Heart of Sailing awareness at Team Dude fundraising walk in Absecon, NJ

Read story

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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!

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Read March 08 little heart newsletter

Print it

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February 18, 2008

Article written by Diana North in the Houston Chronicle Blog. Click here to read it..

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January 23rd 2008

"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

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Oregonian Article on January 6, 2008

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ABC Portland, features Heart of Sailing - January 5, 2008

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From all of us at Heart of Sailing, we wish you
Happy Holidays and a Joyful New Year

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Our first year participating in Ventura - Newport Beach - Dana Point and San Diego Boat Parades of Lights

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December 2007 littleheart newsletter

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Article written by Steve Shaw and published in the Ballard News Tribune on December 11, 2007, for our Seattle Daysails

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Article written by Christina Lent in the Beaverton Valley Times, Portland, OR Nov 15

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Maiden Voyage in Tacoma, WA November 11th, conducted by Craig Luker in conjunction with the Corinthian Yacht Club of Tacoma.

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Maiden Voyage in San Francisco November 7th, in conjunction with Treasure Island Sailing Center.

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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.

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HEART OF SAILING MOURNS LOSS OF VOLUNTEER, CAPTAIN DANIEL P. BERGIN

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Sailing Clinic October 7th

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 prepare those 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. 

Read more about the Regatta

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Heart of Sailing featured in broadcast on Fox 26 Houston on October 15,2007

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September 2007 Littleheart newsletter

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Maiden Voyage in Portland Oregon on Aug 7 & 8, in conjunction with PACE Place, Rose City Yacht Club, Island Sailing Center and Sailors at Tomahawk Marina.

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Latest article, published in the Nor'easter, on our recent Daysails in New Jersey, written by Gretchen F. Coyle.

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...

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Article published in the West End Times, Montreal West, QC

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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.

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Latest Addition to our fleet. Gecko, a 25' Dragonfly sailboat donated by Dr. Dale, Kim and Rob Davison in Panama City Florida.

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Chapter started in Panama City. Check the schedule...

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WELCOME OUR

New board member: F. Edward Yazbak

New Houston-Galveston Chapter Director: Dave McCabe

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May 2007 Littleheart newsletter

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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

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March 2007 littleheart newsletter

Download it in Acrobat Reader format

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Community Partners Announcement

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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. The weekend was also marked by participation of our special guest, HoS Board Member, Christian Chahine, visiting from Europe. For Christian, it was the opportunity to return to an area he once called home, and the first chance to actually sail with HoS in a Daysail event. 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.

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2006

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George Saidah and Amber Small host our first radio show

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And now in Houston, TX for a few days.

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Article written about our program in the San Juan Capistrano newspaper

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Latest FANTASTIC news from California

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.

Read more

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Bellingham Washington Success

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.

More...

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October 15, 2006 - little heart latest newsletter

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Seattle 14-15 October 2006 Daysails

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

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Article written by Susan Montgomery in the Offshore Magazine.

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Another article in Long Beach Island, NJ written in The Press

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Read the article written about our Daysail program in the Sand Paper, Long Beach Island, NJ

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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 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.

Check the pictures at http://heartofsailing.org/regional5.asp

Check the article Rob, from the Atlantic City Press, wrote after his Daysail with us

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September 16, 2006

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.

Check our Maiden Voyage pictures.

Check on www.autismland.com what Kristina, Charlie's mom, wrote about her son's experience

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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...

Please contact 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

Pictures from Houston

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August 22-23, 2006

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.

Few pictures from Seattle.

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August 16, 2006

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.

Read it

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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.

Heart of Sailing - WATCH
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. July 3 2006, WISH TV 8 clip of our 2006 Maiden Voyage on Geist

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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

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June 22 2006, The Herald-Times article

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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

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@Geist.com article in their June 2006 newsletter

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June 2006, Full page article in the Columbian Magazine, Official publication of the Columbia Club

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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...

2005

July 22, 2005 little heart newsletter

July 2005 - George Saidah nominated Dad of the month at iparenting.com .

July 15th 2005 - WISH TV 8 article about our Indianapolis Maiden Voyage .

July 14th, 2005 - Indianapolis Star article

July 12th, 2005 - Indianapolis Star article

July 1st, 2005 - @Geist.com article

July 1st, 2005 - Spring-Summer Joseph Magazine, Beirut Lebanon

June 27th 2005 - press release sent by authorHOUSE

June 20th 2005 - IDS Article on our Maiden Voyage on Lake Monroe Bloomington, IN

June 18th 2005 - press release sent by authorHOUSE

June 17th 2005 - Article written in the Herald Times of Bloomington, Indiana

April 25th 2005 - press release sent by authorHOUSE