George Saidah is the founder and visionary of the Heart of Sailing Foundation. A lifelong sailor, George has dreamed of sharing his passion and knowledge of sailing with children.

 

A native of Beirut, Lebanon, George grew up honing his sailing skills on the beautiful waters of the Mediterranean. A citizen of his native land, as well as France (his Father’s homeland), and an American now for the past 20 years, George has traveled extensively, which has fueled his knowledge and continuing interest in various cultures and countries. He is multilingual, and loves sharing his multicultural heritage with others. In addition to the Mediterranean, George has sailed both single and dual-hulled craft on several bodies of water, including the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico as well as many European and American lakes.

 

In his professional life, George is a successful entrepreneur and respected software engineer and computer expert who has developed programs and systems for private clients and large corporations. A noted achievement included Office Suite, a customer-relations management software package, which was commercially available in the early 1990’s. George was on the cutting edge of software development in its early stages. He has continued his work with software programs, which provide complex data and information management for clients.

 

George became interested in creating a sailing education foundation, as a result of his own family’s experience with a family member who is cognitively impaired. George chose to focus the foundation to provide services to children with cognitive impairment who would otherwise not have the opportunity to experience the thrill and therapeutic benefits of sailing. By creating an international foundation, George hopes to reach children not only in the United States, but those in countries where such programs are not available.