A Nautical Adventure

For Special Needs Children

Agenda
Mission
 Who We Are
• An international network of volunteers, many of them
sailors, united with a common goal – sharing our love
of sailing with children.

• Most are entrepreneurs committed to community

service and volunteerism.

• Our staff and board members include a pediatrician,

neurosurgeon, nurse, therapist, two attorneys, an
accountant, and several financial planners.
 Where We Are
• International Headquarters: Bloomington, Indiana.
Sailing Locations:
• Alameda, Dana Point, Long Beach, Marina Del
Rey, Newport, Oakland, San Diego, San International Locations:
Francisco & Ventura, CA • Montreal, Quebec, Canada (2
• Branford, Southport & Stamford, CT sites)
• Ft Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Key West, Miami, • Toronto, Ontario
New Smyrna Beach, Panama City, Punta • Vancouver, British Columbia,
Gorda, St Augustine, West Palm Beach, FL
Canada
• Atlanta & Savannah, GA
• Bloomington, Indianapolis & Nashville, IN • Antibes, France (Au Coeur Des
• Boston & East Boston, MA Voiles)
• Barnegat, Beach Haven & Surf City, NJ
• Mount Sinai, Patchogue & Port Jefferson, NY
• San Juan, PR
• Portland, OR
• Houston - Galveston, TX
• Bellingham, Kirkland, Olympia, Seattle &
Tacoma, WA
 Where We Are
• Developing Regions:
• Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Madison, Wisconsin
• Tampa, Florida
• Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
• Antigua, British West Indies
• St. Thomas, USVI
• Guadeloupe
• England
• Barcelona, Spain
• Beirut, Lebanon
• Tel Aviv, Israel
• Italy
• Greece
• Switzerland
• And more…
 Populations Served
• Primarily Families with Children from 3 and up.
(90 year old participated in our program)
• Program is geared toward participants with
pervasive developmental disorders affecting
cognitive and/or behavioral development.
 Breakdown of Percentages

*Cerebral Palsy, Epilepsy, Cri du Chat, Fragile X, Williams Syndrome, Charge Syndrome, Tetrasomy 18
Program Description
 2009 Daysails Programs
• Families of Special Needs Children
• Groups of Special Needs Children and Adults programs (like Special
Olympics, ARC, Family Support Groups, Best Buddies, D.A.D.S.,
PACE Place, …)
• Special Needs Schools, or Classes
• Group Homes
• Sailing For Sanity
– Couples
– Moms Only
– Dads Only
• Sunset Cruises
• Night Sailing (with or without moon)
Benefits of Sailing
Benefits Continued
Benefits Continued
 Outline of a Daysail
• 10:00 am Participants arrive and prepare for departure
 Outline of a Daysail (cont’d)
Safety Precautions:
• Boom
• Hand and Boat
• Squished Banana
• Winches and Fingers
• Man Overboard
 Safety First - Life Jacket
• At all times, Youth
Participants must wear
Coast Guard approved Type
1,2 or 3 Personal Floating
Device’s (PFD’s) or a life
jacket, weight and age
appropriate.
Outline of a Daysail (cont’d)
• Parts of sailboat
• Airfoil (how a sailboat sails into the wind)
 Outline of a Daysail (cont’d)
Prepare the boat to sail (skipper & participants).
• Show participants around the boat (galley, head, etc.)
• Demonstrate usage of the head (if available)
• Review safety procedures.
SET SAIL!!!
• After motoring out of harbor/marina/channel, skipper
assigns duties and participants have opportunity to rotate
through all positions: at the helm, hoisting sails, trimming.
 Daysail Conclusion
Return to Dock
• Crew Prepares Meal for participants (if applicable).
This is opportunity for parents & participants to mingle and
discuss experiences.

• Distribution of medals
and certificates to participants

• Discussion/Questions
Teamwork
Communication
Social Interaction
Motor Skills
Confidence/Self-Esteem
Adventure
Concentration/Focus
Comments from Parents & Participants
How Donations are Spent
 How to Register
 www.heartofsailing.org
 How to Register (Continued)
 Choose Sail With Us from Home Page Title Bar
 Registration Cont’d
 Select Regional Location and view Schedule of available dates
 Select Register for your preferred date
Registration Cont’d
What to bring for a Daysail
 Volunteer Opportunities
• Sailboat owners to provide their time, experience and/or
boat for use in the Daysail Program
• Volunteers must pass background screening
• Captains/Skippers must complete training and abide by all
policies and procedures outlined in Operations Manual
• Administrative help, Event Coordinators & Grant writers
• Ask us how your talents and expertise can contribute
(everything from writing an article for our newsletter,
attending local charity events on Heart of Sailing’s behalf,
participating in walks and other similar events, as well as
helping with press releases and promotional events).
 Sea of Numbers
As of December 31, 2008

Description 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Goal
Participants Served        
  Total Special Needs participants 151 657 1,683 2,903 5,000
  Children served 127 534 1,289 2,344 4,200
  Teenagers/Young adults 18 94 318 435 600
  Adults (over 21) 6 29 76 124 200
  Families served 134 530 1,519 2,451 4500
  Total number of individuals served 322 1,342 4,271 7,527 12,000
  Newsletter subscribers 328 1,584 3,944 6,271 10,000

* Cost is decreasing due to more volunteered boats, sponsors and donations.

 Sea of Numbers Cont’d
2007 2008 2009
Description 2005 2006
    Estimate
Fleet and Crew          
  Sailboats owned 1 5 7 11 14
  Sailboats volunteered 3 10 70 116 120
  Volunteer captains 4 10 81 131 150
  Volunteers 14 52 235 453 500
Expansion          
  Number of locations 2 6 20 36 50
  Year long operating locations 0 2 12 14 20
  International locations* 1 1 3 6 8
Website statistics          
  Page loads 17,788 29,938 47,798 268,479 500,000
  Unique visitors to our website 4,266 8,607 14,766 59,489 100,000
  First time visitors 3,410 7,297 12,548 45,493 70,000
  Returning visitors 856 1,310 2,218 13,996 30,000
We are proud of our 100% safety record
Sponsorship Opportunities
• Heart of Sailing will host its 3nd Sail-a-thon, International Fundraising Event in conjunction with
Summer Sailstice, all summer 2009 to benefit our sailing programs for special needs children

• The Sail-a-thon is an international event to benefit Heart of Sailing’s Daysail program, enabling
special needs children and their families to enjoy the therapeutic benefits of sailing at no cost. Sail-a-
thon is held in more than 30 regions across the U.S., Canada and Europe including sailing
excursions, boat parties, beach picnics, and cookouts, as well as door prizes and awards for
fundraising.

• Calling all sun, summer and sailing worshippers. Join the Heart of Sailing Team and sailors
worldwide in our 2nd annual Summer Sailstice celebration of sailing on the weekend of June 20/21
– Our largest fundraiser on the longest sailing weekend days of the year!

• Join us to help expand our program to new horizons where we can serve more families. You can
either join a Sail-a-thon or create your own in your area.
Thank You
 Contact Us

George Saidah
Founder/Executive Director
(812) 935-7245
gsaidah@heartofsailing.org