
Please see
letter to DIYC Members
by Mike Miller dated February 22, 2013.
April 25, 2011
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Dear fellow boater:
Your club has graciously extended to us
the opportunity to acquaint you with the Sail Connecticut Access
Program (“SCA”).
We began operations in 1989 as
Connecticut’s only recreational and educational program that
provides people with all forms of physical and developmental
disabilities or special needs, with the opportunity to sail on
Long Island Sound. Driven and guided by volunteers, we are
pleased to be entering our 23rd consecutive year of operation.
Each summer from June through early
October our 3 specially adapted sailboats leave the dock at
least five days a week, and as often as three times a day. Last
summer we provided more than 1600 individual sailing
opportunities to our members and the organizations that bring
their people to us in groups. We are headquartered at Brewer
Pilot’s Point Marina in Westbrook, where the Marina has outdone
itself to provide us w
ith
a superb and accessible facility.
Our sailors come from all ages and
backgrounds; their disabilities run the full gamut and we have
learned to provide whatever assistance they may need. If they
can get to the marina, we can get them out on the water and
offer them a safe, enjoyable and educational sailing experience.
Our part time sailing instructors are supplemented by a growing
corps of volunteer skippers and mates who devote a great deal of
time and effort to SCA.
Individual and family memberships in SCA
are only $40 per year; for this, our members may come sailing as
often as they wish, and without any additional charge. Any
person with a disability or special need who claims a financial
hardship is extended a membership without charge, and we also
provide complimentary memberships to our disabled and wounded
Veterans.
We accomplish all of this on a modest,
no-frills annual budget. Membership dues make up only a portion
of our expenses; the rest comes from generous donations by
organizations and people who believe in what we do. We honor
this generous support by putting every dollar we receive into
the operation of SCA.
We are a non-profit organization;
contributions to us may be tax deductible to the extent
permitted by law.
Like many non-profits, the economy has had
an impact upon the financial support we receive. With our
operating costs generally fixed, we are expanding our outreach
to a larger community of boaters and sailors. We would invite,
and very much appreciate, your help in any or all of these three
ways:
Do you know a person with a disability who
you think might enjoy the opportunity to go sailing? If the
answer is yes, please tell them about us.
Would you enjoy volunteering with us as a
skipper or mate? Sailing with our wonderful group of people
brings joy to them and enriches your sailing experience. There
is no minimum commitment of time; any volunteer is most welcome.
If you a person who financially supports
worthy causes, may we place ourselves before you as an
organization needing financial support to remain afloat? We are,
we think, a non-profit that a boater could especially love.
Any donation you may wish to make can be
mailed to me at the address on this letterhead.
As we are a 501(c)(3) non-profit
organization, your donation may be tax deductible to the extent
permitted by law.
(I have created a list of 10 good reasons
to support SCA, see below)
If you’d like to learn more about SCA,
feel free visit our website at
http://www.sailctaccess.org
You are always welcome to visit our
facility in the South Yard at Pilot’s Point Marina in Westbrook.
We are located near P Dock, just a little way past the entrance
driveway bridge. Look for an 80 foot long “accessible” ramp
leading from our staging platform down to the floating dock.

I will be pleased to answer any questions
you may have; feel free to call me at (203) 231-1543. Our chief
sailing instructor Rob Rackliff can be reached on the SCA cell
phone at (860) 304-6588.
Thank you for the opportunity to acquaint
you with us. We hope to hear from you.
Sincerely;
Mike Miller
Treasurer and
volunteer skipper
SAIL CONNECTICUT
ACCESS PROGRAM, Inc.
Sailing
Opportunities for People with
Disabilities and
Special Needs
TEN GREAT REASONS TO SUPPORT SCA
1 We are a not-for-profit organization
recognized by the Internal Revenue Service under Section
501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code; accordingly, your
contribution to us may be tax-deductible to the extent permitted
by law.
2 We have a long history of many
accomplishments and growth; we have been in continuous operation
since 1989. We are the only recreational sailing program for
people with disabilities and special needs along the Connecticut
shoreline.
3 With our little "fleet" of three
specially adapted sailboats we annually provide as many as 1,800
individual sailing experiences to people with all manner of
physical and developmental disabilities, and to people with
special needs.
4 We provide annual memberships to our
sailors, and provide group sailing opportunities to
organizations serving the disabled and special needs
communities, at fees considerably below our actual cost. Your
donations make this possible.
5 For any person with a disability or
special need who expresses a financial hardship, we waive our
annual dues and provide a subsidized membership with full
privileges, without charge. We also offer complimentary
memberships to our disabled and wounded Veterans.
6 Our Program is volunteer-driven; we have
no administrative staff or offices. Instead, our growing corps
of volunteers gives hundreds of hours to the program each year.
Therefore, every dollar we receive goes directly into operating
SCA.
7 We operate the Program on a shoestring;
we seek and receive discounts and special donations for many of
our purchases. Every dollar is wisely spent.
8 The enjoyment of sailing and the
opportunity for a respite from the cares of everyday life is not
all we provide; our members are able to spend time with other
people with disabilities and special needs, interacting and
enjoying one another's company in ways that are both uplifting
and therapeutic.
9 We're more than just a boat ride; our
members are given the opportunity to learn the joys of sailing,
steering a sailboat and trimming the sails. Our skippers
instruct our sailors about the manner in which a sailboat
interacts with tide, wind and wave, and about the marine
environment in which we sail.
10 We continually strive to provide a
safe, enjoyable and educational sailing experience to the
population of wonderful people we serve.