I’ve said it many times, but now’s the time to say it again: The Sailing Center’s dedicated volunteers make everything that we do possible. From folks stepping up at the last minute to help staff an outreach table to families coming in for landscaping or yard cleanup, CSC volunteers are integral to every aspect of the day-to-day operations of the Sailing Center.
Never before has the generosity and dedication of our volunteers been more apparent than in response to the recent flooding on Lake Champlain. During the first week of floods, before the water finally made it inside our office, we received countless calls and emails offering support—before we even needed help! The next week, once the water had come over the sandbags (filled with help from volunteers, of course), the offers only increased. Folks from all over Vermont stepped up and offered to help with whatever they could. From help with cleanup to donated office space to monetary contributions, community members came out of the woodwork to help get us back on track.
But the work isn’t done, and our volunteers know that. Even though we’re settled in a temporary office space and have developed a strategy for how to navigate damage and delays, we’re getting calls, emails, tweets, and Facebook messages from folks wishing us well and offering to help in whatever way they can.
Well, rest assured—there will be plenty to do in the coming months to get ready for our much anticipated summer season. We’ve scheduled a community-wide Staying Afloat Volunteer Day on Saturday, May 28th—the day we would have opened if not for the flood. The event will run from 9 am until 3 pm and will include lunch for all of our dedicated (and presumably hungry) volunteers. If you’re interested in attending the workday on May 28th, or would like to help out at any other point, please be in touch. You can email Lesley Chapman at Lesley [at] communitysailingcenter.org or call 864-2499 to talk about volunteer options.
It’s been an exciting April down here at the Sailing Center. The anticipation of the upcoming summer season is indescribable. Since we have decided to start our sailing season three weeks early this year we have been hustling all spring to get the docks in the water, clean up the boats as well as organize the general layout of our “unique” facility. There really is never a dull moment at the Community Sailing Center, ever.
In order to make this all happen we have been hosting weekly volunteer days. Last Saturday, April 25th was our big spring work day. Colin and I were psyched to get a good turnout especially since we only have two weeks left until game time! The dock crew was able to repair one of our ramp docks, re-carpet it’s surface and prepare the next ramp for work. The other assorted crews were able to clean/wax 4 of our our 420’s, flip and rig them, reorganize assorted spars, clean/wax the keel boat hulls, prepare the keel boat bottoms for paint amongst many other feats. All in all a very successful day!
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