Want to surprise your child, godchild, niece, nephew or parents with the gift that keeps on giving? Give the gift of sailing! For information call or email us today! Summer 2010 is right around the corner…

2009 was a very exciting year for Charleston Community Sailing Inc. as we reached several large milestones and expanded our programs farther into the community. What began with a few donated boats, ten sailors and five volunteers has grown to an organization that has instructed over 3,000 children to date. Currently, we have nine Scholastic teams, a Special Olympics Team, a successful outreach “Buddy Sail” program, a growing partnership with Charleston County Parks & Recreation, and the dedication of 50+ volunteers. The growth of our organization has been possible only through the generosity of our donors, sponsors and volunteers. The increased demand and growth across all of our programs means we need your support to continue to serve all who express an interest in learning to sail. CCSI has one of the largest high school sailing programs in the country and we must expand our other programs that provide access to the water and a sailboat to any and all in our community.

Thanks to your contributions, we achieved the following in 2009:
• Celebrated our 10 Year Anniversary in October 2009.
• Total Participation in all programs last year alone was 410 people, up 52% from 2008.
• Summer Programs were a huge success with 120 youth enrolled.
• Our Special Olympics Team participated in the 4th Annual Special Olympics Regatta out of JIYC.
• Our Scholastic Sailing Program reached nine teams, our largest number of teams to date.
• Expanded press coverage with articles in Charleston Magazine, Tideline Magazine & The Post & Courier.

Our 10th year anniversary goal is to end the year by paying off the expanded dock system that was required to support our program growth. They docks were purchased last year at a cost of $65,000. Please help us pay for the dock system that provides the literal foundation for our programs. Your contribution is fully tax deductible and you will know where every penny of your donation is being applied. We think it is critical to provide our youth with the kind of positive character building experiences and life lessons that sailing provides, but to do so takes a lot of effort and financial support. It is for the above reasons we ask that you consider a donation in these difficult times. Thank you again, and please know that we deeply appreciate your dedication to our programs.

Kindest Regards,
Jessica Koenig, Executive Director

Chase Community Giving is a program run by Chase that will allow Facebook users to vote for local charities and non-profits, and help direct Chase corporate philanthropy dollars to eligible organizations in the following focus areas: education, healthcare, housing, the environment, combating hunger, arts and culture, human services, and animal welfare. The grassroots campaign aims to inspire a new way of corporate philanthropy.

The eligible charity receiving the most votes will be awarded $1 million, the top five runners-up will receive $100,000 each and the 100 finalists, including the top winners, will be awarded $25,000 each. Additionally, a special Advisory Board led by prominent national philanthropists will allocate $1 million to the nominated charities of its choice.

Nine races were sailed in both Gold and Silver fleets. Conditions were light and variable winds from the northeast around 5 knots. The air temperature was 75 degrees and the water temperature was 77 degrees. Congratulations to all 27 teams for extremely competitive sailing. Big Congrats to our SAISA sailors from Wando High School who won Silver Fleet: Nicholas Valente & Austin Winkler