Fundraising Near Complete for New Sailing Center

Burlington, VT (November 15, 2016) – During a ceremonial groundbreaking for a new, world-class community waterfront campus and sailing education center, the Lake Champlain Community Sailing Center (CSC), a nonprofit with a mission to provide community access to Lake Champlain, today announced two anchor gifts, each for $1 million, in their $5.75 million fundraising campaign.

The gifts, one from the Pomerleau Family Foundation, and the second from family and friends in honor of Raymond P. Sullivan, will help to support the construction of The Pomerleau Community Waterfront Campus and Raymond P. Sullivan Sailing Education Center.

“These investments usher in a new era on Burlington’s waterfront, and with additional support from other community leaders and donors, the organization has raised over $5 million toward our capital campaign,” reports Mark Naud, executive director of the Lake Champlain Community Sailing Center.

The donor support to date and the ground breaking today, which have been achieved through a partnership between private philanthropy and the City of Burlington, represent the first major investments in public access to Lake Champlain in the past 20 years. In 2014, as part of the City of Burlington’s Waterfront Access North Project to redevelop the area adjacent to the Sailing Center, city residents voted in favor of TIF funded infrastructure improvements, totaling $500,000 of project costs, to develop a new world-class waterfront campus and facility.

“As my 100th birthday approaches, I’m looking ahead to the next century for all Vermonters,” said Antonio Pomerleau, a Vermont real estate developer and philanthropic angel. “Lake Champlain is an inspiring part of our life. With this $1 million gift, the Pomerleau Family Foundation aims to ensure, for the next century, that all Vermonters will enjoy this lake we love.”

“The Sullivan family cannot think of a better way to honor the life and legacy of our dad,” added stated Ashley Sullivan. “Ray knew firsthand the power that water and sailing could have on one’s life. It certainly had a profound impact on his. The naming of the Sailing Education Center is made possible by dear friends of his who found it a fitting tribute to man who was so very loved.”

Since 1994, the CSC has utilized sailing and human-powered watercrafts to break down the economic and physical barriers of access to Lake Champlain for all Vermonters and visitors alike. For 22 last years, the CSC has operated out of limited facilities, including a public works garage on the lakeshore, expanding programs each year to continually meet the needs of the community. In 2016, the organization served over 6,200 individuals and collaborated with 71 community partners to provide educational lake-based experiences.

The new community waterfront campus contains a 22,180-square-foot sailing education center that includes: year-round classroom space, new boats and docks, restroom facilities, indoor storage, locker rooms, offices, and maintenance facilities, while ensuring public access, education, and recreation on Lake Champlain for years to come. Construction will begin immediately and the project is expected to be complete in 2017.

For more information on CSC: www.communitysailingcenter.org

Source: Charlotte Longley