It has been an amazing year for us at Connecticut Community Boating. From officially becoming a 501c3 organization to having our biggest year ever with more than 750 kids hitting the waves for the first time in their lives, 2010 was by all accounts a banner year.
Now in our fourth season, we have doubled in size every year since 2007, when we started with one boat and a mission to ensure that no child is left ashore. Our growth is testament to the huge need and the burning enthusiasm our kids have for the waters that sit just yards from their homes and schools, and the shame that they have been denied access to for all to long.
We're thrilled that we can help impart a new chapter in the lives of our kids and help play a role in improving the quality of life for all in the Greater Bridgeport area.
In 2011, we will be rolling out a huge array of programming to bolster our effects, from continuation and expansion of the CCB Learn to Swim campaign where every kid can learn to swim for just $1 a lesson to a newly refurbished afterschool program where kids will get a chance to learn about and explore their local waters and enjoy a positive and safe extracurricular environment where they can do their homework and be mentored by sailors from all walks of life.
But now that the leaves are falling and there is a crisp feel to the autumn brezzes, we want to remind you that the season isn't over and our work is not done. We're feverishly working to fund the 2011 season, have classes going until the last Jack-O-Lantern light dims and planning a November to remember with a Junior Recognition Dinner on November 1 and an Adult Cocktails and Community Party on Nov 18th.
For more info on our 2011 plan of attack, our Fall Fundraising Drive or any of the other things we have cooking at CCB, please call 203-382-3661.
Thank you for making this a year for ages at CCB and We wish you a happy fall and smooth sailing!
Friday, October 15, 2010
Thursday, September 30, 2010
2010 Pleasure Beach Boat Lift and Clean Up Biggest EVER!
Amid overcast skies and growing breezes, the 2010 Pleasure Beach Boat Lift and Cleanup kicked off. And by 2PM that same day, over 150 kids had their first chance to sail and the first opportunity to see the "jewel" that is Pleasure Beach for the very first time in their lives.
With over 230 volunteers, the Beach Cleanup was by all accounts the biggest ever. Cleaning up over 4 tons of trash and debris choking the shores of this delicate seaside landmark and washing into our world's oceans, The Beach cleanup was part of world-wide effort known as "International Beach Clean Up Day" and our volunteers were part of a 500,000 strong world-wide force, and by far the largest effort in all of Connecticut according to Kierran Broatch at Save the Sound who partnered with us in the event.
Students from Fairfield U, Fairfield Prep, Stratford, Bunnell, Central, Bassick, Harding and many more schools turned out with BuildOn.org, a student organization dedicated to community service, as well as folks from across the region to take part in the effort. And the throng of able bodied beach combers, were boat lifted over and back, with the tons of trash, in a fleet of more than a dozen vessels from CCB, the City as well as privately-owned .
This effort comes just days before the Town of Stratford is set to remove the cottages that are a great source of the trash that is scattered across the man-made peninsula that acts as a barrier island to the Great Salt Marsh and Bridgeport Harbor. As part of $900 Million federal stimulus grant, The Town that once owned of the Park City and then entire peninsula now known as Long Beach West and Pleasure Beach, will cart off the derelict structures and the waste that was left there when the 60 families were forced to abandon their claims and their care of the property after a long and hotly contested court battle in 2007. Since then the trash and debris has been left to scatter and spread across the property and into the Stewart B. McKinney Wildlife refuge.
The latest beach cleanup is part of a campaign that began in 2009 and has continued over the last year and across the area to remediate the garbage that lines the shores of "Lewis Gut" and Bridgeport Harbor. CCB has coordinated this effort as part of our mission to provide access to the waters of Long Island Sound with a belief that pollution is one of the issues that prevents individuals from using and appreciating our local waters.
Having removed more than 5000 bags of trash from the Landfill at Seaside Park and making headway on cleaning up some of the most polluted waters in Connecticut, CCB turned its efforts in 2009 and it eyes to Bridgeport Harbor in the hopes that one day soon, we will be allowed to access our fleet in the heart of the Park City in Bridgeport Harbor where we have already received permission to install a mooring fleet, but lack a shore-based location to launch from. This cleanup is part of ongoing effort to expand our reach on the water and promote and protect our greatest natural resource for the kids of today and future generations.
With over 230 volunteers, the Beach Cleanup was by all accounts the biggest ever. Cleaning up over 4 tons of trash and debris choking the shores of this delicate seaside landmark and washing into our world's oceans, The Beach cleanup was part of world-wide effort known as "International Beach Clean Up Day" and our volunteers were part of a 500,000 strong world-wide force, and by far the largest effort in all of Connecticut according to Kierran Broatch at Save the Sound who partnered with us in the event.
Students from Fairfield U, Fairfield Prep, Stratford, Bunnell, Central, Bassick, Harding and many more schools turned out with BuildOn.org, a student organization dedicated to community service, as well as folks from across the region to take part in the effort. And the throng of able bodied beach combers, were boat lifted over and back, with the tons of trash, in a fleet of more than a dozen vessels from CCB, the City as well as privately-owned .
This effort comes just days before the Town of Stratford is set to remove the cottages that are a great source of the trash that is scattered across the man-made peninsula that acts as a barrier island to the Great Salt Marsh and Bridgeport Harbor. As part of $900 Million federal stimulus grant, The Town that once owned of the Park City and then entire peninsula now known as Long Beach West and Pleasure Beach, will cart off the derelict structures and the waste that was left there when the 60 families were forced to abandon their claims and their care of the property after a long and hotly contested court battle in 2007. Since then the trash and debris has been left to scatter and spread across the property and into the Stewart B. McKinney Wildlife refuge.
The latest beach cleanup is part of a campaign that began in 2009 and has continued over the last year and across the area to remediate the garbage that lines the shores of "Lewis Gut" and Bridgeport Harbor. CCB has coordinated this effort as part of our mission to provide access to the waters of Long Island Sound with a belief that pollution is one of the issues that prevents individuals from using and appreciating our local waters.
Having removed more than 5000 bags of trash from the Landfill at Seaside Park and making headway on cleaning up some of the most polluted waters in Connecticut, CCB turned its efforts in 2009 and it eyes to Bridgeport Harbor in the hopes that one day soon, we will be allowed to access our fleet in the heart of the Park City in Bridgeport Harbor where we have already received permission to install a mooring fleet, but lack a shore-based location to launch from. This cleanup is part of ongoing effort to expand our reach on the water and promote and protect our greatest natural resource for the kids of today and future generations.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Beach Week will Close Tomorrow, But Not Until We Finish a Herculean Effort
It's been a very long week starting last Thursday at The Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Preserve when we kicked off an effort to clean the Greater Bridgeport Shoreline. And tomorrow when the clock strikes 2, Beach Week Cleanup 2010 will come to a close.
But before it does, we have one more assault to wage on the trash and debris that blankets our coastline. While we were cleaning one side of the refuge, we discovered an island and an inlet in the Great Salt Marsh that is no doubt one of the most neglected sites in all of Fairfield County.
We saw foam billets by the hundreds, plastic bags and bottles by the thousands and enough Dunkin Donuts Cups, Duchess Wrappers, and McDonald's straws to wallpaper the Grand Canyon.
This discovery, much like the Storm last week that washed so much trash up on to shore, was a unique happenstance because of the first ever occurrence of Beach Week 2010 when we already had a host of cleanup efforts in the works. And with the final day of the week-long "Olympics of Trash Clean Up" still unscheduled, we knew exactly where to send the more than 150 volunteers scheduled to come lend a hand.
So tomorrow at 10AM, CCB and a host of other groups, individuals and organizations will arrive at the end of Long Beach Boulevard in Stratford. (600 Long Beach Blvd for you GPSers) There we will enter the Great Salt March and like a line of army ants, move the huge collection of debris to our staging area for municipal pick up.
Gloves, boots, hats and jackets will all be advisable as the Marsh is wet and muddy and the temps are expected to hover around 40 with a stiff easterly breeze. Also Garbage bags are in short supply as is water, snacks and anything else you will need- so please plan ahead.
Please call 203-382-3661 for more info and we will see you in the morning!!
But before it does, we have one more assault to wage on the trash and debris that blankets our coastline. While we were cleaning one side of the refuge, we discovered an island and an inlet in the Great Salt Marsh that is no doubt one of the most neglected sites in all of Fairfield County.
This discovery, much like the Storm last week that washed so much trash up on to shore, was a unique happenstance because of the first ever occurrence of Beach Week 2010 when we already had a host of cleanup efforts in the works. And with the final day of the week-long "Olympics of Trash Clean Up" still unscheduled, we knew exactly where to send the more than 150 volunteers scheduled to come lend a hand.
So tomorrow at 10AM, CCB and a host of other groups, individuals and organizations will arrive at the end of Long Beach Boulevard in Stratford. (600 Long Beach Blvd for you GPSers) There we will enter the Great Salt March and like a line of army ants, move the huge collection of debris to our staging area for municipal pick up.
Gloves, boots, hats and jackets will all be advisable as the Marsh is wet and muddy and the temps are expected to hover around 40 with a stiff easterly breeze. Also Garbage bags are in short supply as is water, snacks and anything else you will need- so please plan ahead.
Please call 203-382-3661 for more info and we will see you in the morning!!
Friday, March 26, 2010
The End of 2010 Beach Week Cleanup- But The Battle Will Rage On!
Today is our final day of our week-long marathon Beach Clean Up. It was hard work and it's hard to admit that so much progress is yet to be had, but the strides made by hundreds of volunteers this week cannot be ignored. Thank you to everyone who chipped in and helped us make a dent in the trash that lines our shores.
Why is it that with so much promise and so much hope for a brighter future in the winds these days, more people do not see that the future of Our State, Our City and Our Children flows freely in the waters that sit just feet from our homes. Long Island Sound, a treasure that built fortunes for our forefathers and a resource that holds so much promise for our future, is still assaulted by trash, by tainted run off and by neglect.
Our mission at CCB is to help show our community what LIS means to all of us. For the young, it is a classroom, a playground and a tutor that offers a host of benefits from lessons in self-worth to a life-time of education in exercise and healthy living. For adults, it is a chance to unwind and appreciate our community that is fully apart from the I-95 rat race. For those with special needs, it offers life skills, presents rewarding challenges resulting in developmental growth and a platform for fresh air and sunshine. And for our economy, LIS offers tourism dollars, business opportunities and lessons in green technology from by-gone eras.
The trash we pick up today may not alter the course of human events or even save a small portion of the wildlife we hope to protect. But it does help us mobilize and motivate those who have been shut out from the water and turned away from our greatest natural resource. By lending a hand in cleanup efforts we have shown our community some of the damage that is wrought from the senseless act of mis-disposal of trash. Our week-long effort has raised eyes from newspapers, TV and radio. And our efforts have helped show our political leadership that our residents care about LIS and that we expect great things from them for the future of our waters.
Today is the last day of Beach Week, but only the beginning of what is to come. We will mobilize our community by getting them sailing and caring about our waters. We will show a generation of kids who have been declined access to the water that LIS is their birthright and theirs to appreciate and learn from. When the last bag is stacked today, we will just be starting to tackle the issues that face our youth, our families and our community. We will teach every man, woman and child to sail and aid them in their enjoyment of Long Island Sound. We will host even more efforts to access the most remote regions of our waterfront with our fleet of 50 vessels and while there attempt to gather as much of the flotsam and jetsam that chokes our waterways.
This is just the start of what is to come and for those who have helped us this week, we pledge that your efforts will not be in vain. Your efforts are the seeds that will grow into a future of water awareness and will smooth the waves for a journey for every resident of our community who partakes of a warm summer day with sun and salt air that is as pristine as it was when the first Americans dropped anchor and called these waters home.
Thank you for all you have done and thank you for supporting Connecticut Community Boating. It is your hard work that has made this week a success and it is for you that we will continue to strive to make a difference in our community. Thank you.
Why is it that with so much promise and so much hope for a brighter future in the winds these days, more people do not see that the future of Our State, Our City and Our Children flows freely in the waters that sit just feet from our homes. Long Island Sound, a treasure that built fortunes for our forefathers and a resource that holds so much promise for our future, is still assaulted by trash, by tainted run off and by neglect.
Our mission at CCB is to help show our community what LIS means to all of us. For the young, it is a classroom, a playground and a tutor that offers a host of benefits from lessons in self-worth to a life-time of education in exercise and healthy living. For adults, it is a chance to unwind and appreciate our community that is fully apart from the I-95 rat race. For those with special needs, it offers life skills, presents rewarding challenges resulting in developmental growth and a platform for fresh air and sunshine. And for our economy, LIS offers tourism dollars, business opportunities and lessons in green technology from by-gone eras.
The trash we pick up today may not alter the course of human events or even save a small portion of the wildlife we hope to protect. But it does help us mobilize and motivate those who have been shut out from the water and turned away from our greatest natural resource. By lending a hand in cleanup efforts we have shown our community some of the damage that is wrought from the senseless act of mis-disposal of trash. Our week-long effort has raised eyes from newspapers, TV and radio. And our efforts have helped show our political leadership that our residents care about LIS and that we expect great things from them for the future of our waters.
Today is the last day of Beach Week, but only the beginning of what is to come. We will mobilize our community by getting them sailing and caring about our waters. We will show a generation of kids who have been declined access to the water that LIS is their birthright and theirs to appreciate and learn from. When the last bag is stacked today, we will just be starting to tackle the issues that face our youth, our families and our community. We will teach every man, woman and child to sail and aid them in their enjoyment of Long Island Sound. We will host even more efforts to access the most remote regions of our waterfront with our fleet of 50 vessels and while there attempt to gather as much of the flotsam and jetsam that chokes our waterways.
This is just the start of what is to come and for those who have helped us this week, we pledge that your efforts will not be in vain. Your efforts are the seeds that will grow into a future of water awareness and will smooth the waves for a journey for every resident of our community who partakes of a warm summer day with sun and salt air that is as pristine as it was when the first Americans dropped anchor and called these waters home.
Thank you for all you have done and thank you for supporting Connecticut Community Boating. It is your hard work that has made this week a success and it is for you that we will continue to strive to make a difference in our community. Thank you.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
The 2010 End of Winter Boat Bash- A Great Event and Wonderful Success!
Well the beef is all gone and the dishes are done, and all told we had a great turnout and big night for CCB at the 2010 End of Winter Boat Bash. With more than 100 in attendance we raised more than $1500 for the CCB Junior Program, but more importantly we got to have a wonderful night of community and got to honor one of Bridgeport's most dedicated sons, Capt. Bruce Williams.
We must thank all the dedicated staff and volunteers for the hard work they put in to make such a wonderful event:
- Mike and Sherry Duffy- after three days of cooking, shopping, preparing, and promoting, You guys have to be the joint MVPs for the evening- You gotta let us know where you shop for your cape and mask, cause you're a super hero in our Book!
- The CCB Staff- Eleanor, Melissa, Mike and Matt and of course we can't forget you Jane- you guys put in a yeoman's effort with all your unpaid hard work- The Silent Auction, The CCB Program, The 2010 CCB Bull Roast were all hugely successful because of your hard work and dedication- Thank you!
- John and Ron of Cheers Catering- Thank you for helping us procure a monstrous chunk of meat for a delectable culinary experience- Ron was at the pit at 7AM and John stayed til 2 cleaning up- Thank you both for all your help and hard work!
- Kelli's Cakes- If you missed eating it, you can't miss the photo of this work of art- The butter cream frosting, The Mini-Buxton on the Bow of a Hunter and the amazing artistry in decorartions made this the hit of the party!
- The Sun Kings- Mark and the guys once again played a fabulous show and warmed the night up with the cool sounds of the steel pans and the Caribbean music- It's just wouldn't be a Boat Bash without you- thank you!!!
- All the donors, contributors, businesses and organizations that helped raise funds for the CCB Junior Program and provided us with so many awesome prizes and submissions for the CCB Silent Auction and the CCB Raffle, you guys rock!
- Ryan and the Fayerweather Crowd who helped us get a great venue for this event and helped us with a boat load of support to make it a success- Thank You! You can't beat FYC for a good old fashion Boating get-together! We certainly appreciate it, but from all accounts we may have to move to a bigger venue next year because of how big this event is growing- it's all thanks to you!
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