The 2008 Wheeling Vintage Raceboat Regatta is proud to announce that Sea Quest Kids, a non-profit organization from Delaware, will be an integral part of the Regatta this Labor Day Weekend at Wheeling's Heritage Port.
Sea Quest Kids is the is the largest boat building and water safety program for kids in the United States. In two days or less, kids from three years old and up, including all special needs kids, build a 10-foot flat bottomed square ended boat from beginning to end. The kids receive safety training throughout the process, from the safe use of tools while building the boat through the critical elements of boating safety. They learn why certain materials and not others are used in boat construction, and also receive unspoken lessons in teamwork.
The Regatta committee felt that Sea Quest Kids was a perfect fit with the Wheeling Vintage Raceboat Regatta. The 3rd Annual Regatta continues the tradition of donating its proceeds to the Easter Seals Rehabilitation Center, and Sea Quest Kids' strong interest in working with children of all abilities mirrors Easter Seals' work helping people address life's challenges and achieve personal goals.
Sea Quest Kids participants become part of an international network of kids that have all built their own boats. Organized teams participate in events including paddle and rowing races, community service doing waterway cleanups, public speaking telling PTAs, town councils, and civic groups why they are building boats and why it is important to them, working with collegiate aquaculture programs and collecting data, and showing off their own boats at boat shows. Sea Quest Kids have even testified before the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives on boating and water safety issues.
Businesses or individuals are invited to sponsor a Sea Quest Kids' boat for a $375.00 fee with a limited number of boats available. Children will completely build the boat including painting the sponsor's name on the side or using the sponsor's decal if available. If time and water conditions allow, the children will also take the boat for its inaugural trip on the Ohio River in front of Heritage Port on Saturday and Sunday during the Regatta. All children who participate in any way in building a boat will enter their names into a drawing which will take place on Sunday afternoon. The business or individual sponsor may choose to keep their boat, or may donate it to be part of the Sunday drawing in which a lucky child will get to keep a Wheeling Sea Quest Kids boat.
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