The Youth Sailing Foundation (YSF) grant will have a profound and lasting impact on the most vulnerable children in our community. Homeless children are living in poverty and insecurity. Their lives are a daily grind devoid of stimulation and hope for the future. Sailing takes them out of that world and into a world of sunshine, wind and waves. It opens up new possibilities of a wider world. Children from across the socioeconomic spectrum come together to learn new skills and enjoy each other’s company.
Sailing requires focus, perseverance and resilience. Piloting a small dinghy is dynamic problem solving and experiential learning in a fun environment. Success brings a tremendous boost in confidence and self-esteem. Problems solved on the water are brought ashore as the basic building blocks of life.
For homeless children sailing can provide the spark that motivates and lights the way to achievement. The “I can do this” moments while sailing provide the foundation for similar inflection points in academic and social progress. Sailing expands a homeless child’s horizons beyond the insecurity of everyday life to the possibilities that can be achieved through hard work.
YSF and the Homeless Children’s Foundation (HCF) have been in partnership for four years. HCF serves 196 families with 376 children annually. In 2018, HCF granted YSF $100,000 to purchase a 24-passenger bus and 15-passenger van. The vehicles are used to transport homeless children to recreational camps across the county during summer vacation and school year breaks. YSF uses the vehicles to pick up children after school and bring them to our facility to sail. They are an essential part of the proposed program. Transportation is the number one barrier to participation for these families.
YSF, working with the Homeless Children’s Foundation (HCF) we will identify and recruit 12 homeless children in 2022-23 to receive free sailing instruction during two ten-week terms. They will be joined with 8 sailors from Dodgertown Elementary School to form a squadron of 20 sailors. A second squadron will be formed in 2023-24 with an additional 12 homeless children and 8 sailors from Vero Beach Elementary School.
The impact sailing can have on these young children’s lives can be profound. Carlos came to us three years ago at age 9 from a single-parent home with income less than $25,000. He has thrived. Not only has he learned to sail, he has become one our top racers. In July we will be sending Carlos and his mother, all expenses paid, to the Opti National Regatta to be held in Bend, Oregon on the Columbia River. This will be Carlos’s first trip outside of Florida and first time in an airplane. Sailing has literally and figuratively opened new horizons and provided the inspiration to excel at sailing and in life.
75% of the Impact 100 grant will fund highly trained sailing instructors and provide the children with snacks and gear. The remaining funds will purchase a safety boat and cover equipment maintenance.
Your funding will be transformational for the 24 homeless children who learn to sail. Not all will become a Carlos, but all will be forever grateful for the opportunity to experience the thrill and joy of sailing; and the life changing boost in confidence and motivation it can provide.