A Letter from the President
It's almost summertime and kids in coastal communities from Cape Cod to Cape Ann are already dreaming about how they would like to spend their summer vacation. Like so many of us, they are already thinking about catching striped bass, starfish, and hermit crabs at the beach, or swimming in the cool sea on a hot summer day.
Thanks to you and your continued support, Save the Harbor / Save the Bay has connected 42,000 young people to Boston Harbor and the Harbor Islands since 2002. This year, with your help, we will once again make summer dreams come true for thousands more underserved youth and teens from all of Boston's neighborhoods and beachfront communities.
At Save the Harbor / Save the Bay we believe in the Power of Water to change children's lives for the better - and we know you do, too.
We believe that every young person in the region deserves a chance to share the benefits of our public investment in Boston Harbor - and we know you do, too.
That's why each summer Save the Harbor/Save the Bay leads two free, first-rate, summer youth programs that combine recreational activities with hands-on environmental education to connect thousands of our region's young people to the Harbor we have worked so hard to restore and protect. Our All Access Boston Harbor program offers young people from more than 120 youth groups and community organizations a chance to take part in educational and recreational activities at Georges Island and Spectacle Island. Our Boston Harbor Explorers program operates from the docks of six youth sailing and recreation centers around the Harbor, where our marine educators teach our young people to catch crabs, lobsters and fish - and to explore, understand and care for the marine environment.
All our summer youth programs are free, and are targeted towards youth and teens with limited access to the environmental and recreational benefits of our enormous public investment in a clean Harbor and Bay.
Your contribution of $50, $100, $500 - or whatever you can afford - will help provide us with the resources we need to continue to put the Power of Water to work for thousands of deserving young people again this summer.
Last year we served 7,800 young people, from every neighborhood in the City of Boston and from beachfront communities from Nahant to Nantasket, including Lynn, Revere, Chelsea, Everett and Quincy. Demand continues to exceed our capacity.
Though the economy is improving, and most of our funding partners are standing by us, some have had to scale back their support, and a few have had to take a pass this year.
As a result, last year we were forced to cut back the number of island trips we offered - and the number of young people we were able to serve. This summer, with your help, we hope to return to a full schedule of four trips per week during July and August.
We also hope to strengthen our youth programs in other ways this summer, expanding our youth program partnership with the Boston Children's Museum to reach more of the region's kids and families, and introducing an exciting new hands-on approach to Boston Harbor history and archaeology on Spectacle Island.
I hope we can count on your support as we continue to work to put the Power of Water - and Boston Harbor - to work for our region’s underserved youth.
All the best,
Patricia A. Foley
President
PS. To learn more about Save the Harbor / Save the Bay's free youth environmental education programs, visit www.savetheharbor.org/sharetheharbor.html
To see a short video on the Power of Water to transform communities and change lives, please follow this link: www.savetheharbor.org/waterpower
PS. If you would like to make a contributiontoday to support our work, just follow this link.
Thanks again
PAF