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Denver Area Childrens Sailing Program Gave Rides to Special Needs Kids
On Wednesday September 15, Community Sailing of Colorado, Ltd. (a
non-profit childrens sailing program), Mile Hi Boy Scouts,
Standley Lake Regional Park and seven public schools from the
north west part of the Denver metro area partnered to get 190
special needs children and young adults sailing at Standley Lake
in Westminster. Kids ranged in age from 10 years old to 20 years
old and had a multitude of physical or cognitive problems in
their life. Some kids were deaf, some kids were autistic, some
kids were blind. Most of the kids that attended this free event
had never experienced boating previously. I saw many smiles and
grins that day, both from kids and our 25 volunteers. Ten
sailboats plied the waters of Standley Lake, for 4 hours, with
volunteer sailing skippers (some volunteers were kids that
learned to sail with community Sailing) giving rides. “Amish in the City” provides a unique look into the Amish rite of self-discovery, called “rumspringa.” During rumspringa, young Amish adults have an opportunity to leave their spiritually devout, rural communities to experience life in the big city. The show’s Amish participants – Mose, Randy, Miriam, Ruth and Jonas – are exposed to big city life in Los Angeles where they share a Hollywood Hills house with their city youth counterparts - Nick, Meagan, Ariel, Kevan, Reese and Whitney. The show follows the stories of the Amish young adults and their roommates as they learn to live together. The series chronicles how relationships develop and viewpoints collide in a house shared by young people from very different cultures, while introducing viewers to the intensely personal Amish coming-of-age experience. Thanks to Executive Director Charlie Nobles’ “Hollywood” connections, the American Sailing Association was asked to participate in the final show. “When the producers at New Line Television told us they were
developing the show for UPN, we immediately recognized it as a
great opportunity to introduce the Amish- as well as many
Americans, nationwide- to the joys of sailing,” said Nobles. “We
were happy to make possible their emotional experience of sailing
on the Pacific Ocean. The ASA is pleased to share our mission of
promoting safe, enjoyable sailing to everyone through the
influence and reach of ‘Amish in the City.’” The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps
of Engineers have received funding from the U.S. Congress and a
number of states to build an enhanced barrier to keep them our of
the Great Lakes. Bree's winning story, titled "A Solo Sailor Meets His Storm of the Century: The Day All Hell Broke Loose," was originally published in "Ensign" magazine. It told of the terror he experienced, when caught in his small boat on Lake Superior, in the record-breaking storm of July 4, 1999. This is the same storm that blew down millions of trees in the Minnesota Boundary Waters Canoe Area and then went out across the lake. The winner of the West Marine Writer's Award was selected from a pool of 38 winners of the BWI annual writing contest, announced in February 2004. A panel of judges associated with Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism selected the winner of the grand prize from among the previous winners. The judges said that the winning story was: "A real page
turner. Compelling, engaging writing that is as fast-moving as
the storm that engulfed this sailor on what started off as a
clear calm day on Lake Superior. The writing is vivid in detail
about what the sailor was seeing, feeling and thinking - all of
that provided insights and lessons for others who could as easily
find themselves suddenly in the eye of a storm."
Bree, who has authored several books, is a regular contributor
to Northern Breezes. He also told of his storm experience in his
book, "Wake of the Green Storm." He lives in Shoreview, MN. Stop
by and see Marlin at the Northern Breezes booth at the
Minneapolis Boat Show, January 19-23. |
