Helping Disadvantaged Kids Suit Up For Rowing
Northampton, MA,
1 June 2009
- JL, the
premier rowing clothing manufacturer, and the
Foundation for Rowing Education are asking the
rowing community to help deserving youth
participate in our sport. JL and FRE will
distribute used rowing clothing in good
condition to rowing outreach programs around the
country. Rowers donating clothing to this
project will earn a 25% discount on JL
purchases.
One challenge in
setting up a rowing program for those who lack
financial resources is that these young athletes
often lack appropriate clothing to wear on the
water. The Foundation for Rowing Education’s
national outreach initiative, Row4All, helps
rowing outreach programs solve problems like
this. Row4All staff will work with JL to get
the donated clothing to the programs whose kids
need it most.
To make a
donation and receive 25% off on stock purchases from JL, bring used rowing
clothing to any JL regatta booth or send to Race
in JL, 3425 Stone Way N, Seattle, WA 98103.
Clothing must be in good wearable condition, and
must be rowing specific. The discount can be
applied to web store purchases or for items in
the JL regatta booth. Please include contact
information with clothing. Email
evie@jlracing.com with any questions regarding donations or discounts.
To inquire about
receiving donated clothing
for your organization’s youth outreach program,
email
margot@rowingeducation.org.
JL is a
family-owned business, run and staffed by
athletes, with a strong commitment to the rowing
community. For over 25 years, we have been
designing, engineering, and manufacturing
technical training and racing clothing for
rowers. Visit JL at
www.jlracing.com.
The Foundation for Rowing Education is a
non-profit organization that provides education
and safety programs and outreach services in the
sport of rowing. Row4All, its national outreach
initiative, was developed by a team of coaches,
rowers, and youth development experts.
Row4All’s mission is to expand the scope and
impact of rowing programs committed to reaching
diverse populations of underserved youth.
Row together, go far.
Concept2 Partnership Aims to Help Underserved Youth
through Rowing
Northampton,
MA, 20 March 2009
– The Foundation for Rowing Education’s youth
outreach program, Row4All, is partnering with
Concept2, the leading manufacturer of indoor
rowers, to develop indoor rowing programs for
underserved elementary, middle school and high
school children. Working directly in
communities struggling with economic hardship
and with minority populations that often lack
access to effective fitness programs, Row4All
will refine a pilot program model that can be
adopted by organizations across the US.
Row4All will
begin by creating an indoor rowing program in
Western Massachusetts, at a site convenient for
urban youth. Fun, music-filled indoor rowing
workshops will introduce adolescents to a
physical activity that involves the whole body,
teamwork, and is a good introduction to the
sport of rowing.
Childhood
obesity has been described as an “epidemic” in
the US, and it is a particular problem in
impoverished and minority communities.
Together, Row4All and Concept2 will bring an
innovative approach to fitness directly to the
neighborhoods where it is most needed.
Indoor rowing
has gained popularity over the last several
years as an individual sport. It has its own
competitions and is easily accessible, in gyms,
schools and clubs. Rowing machines track
fitness levels and strength, making it easy to
establish benchmarks and set goals. Setting up
an indoor rowing program is within the reach,
financially and logistically, of most
organizations.
Concept2 has
created an indoor rowing program model for
schools that integrates rowing into physical
education classes and academics. Row4All works
with rowing organizations to expand the scope
and impact of rowing programs that are committed
to reaching diverse populations of underserved
youth.
Concept2 was
founded by Dick and Peter Dreissigacker in 1976.
Fresh from Olympic training, the two brothers
designed and manufactured carbon fiber racing
oars, then went on to create the world’s first
airresistance indoor rower. For more
information about Concept2, visit
concept2.com.
The
Foundation for Rowing Education is a non-profit
organization founded in 2004 to serve the rowing
community by providing education and safety
programs and outreach services to all
participants in the sport. FRE serves the
national rowing community: regions, clubs,
schools, and individuals across the United
States.
For more
information about the Foundation for Rowing
Education, contact FRE Executive Director Margot
Zalkind at
margot@rowingeducation.org, or visit
http://www.rowingeducation.org/row4all.html.
The
Foundation for Rowing Education (FRE) believes
the benefits of rowing should be accessible to
everyone. We have learned through our
own experience how powerful the benefits of rowing
can be, and we seek to bring those benefits to
children in underserved communities who might
not otherwise have the opportunity to row.
Rowing demands discipline. It rewards hard work.
It demands intense teamwork, and challenges individuals
to achieve beyond their own expectations. Success
in rowing requires skills that resonate throughout
our lives, and we know that when young people
learn these skills, their own success follows.
We know that the discipline and structure of rowing,
combined with caring and capable adult coaches
and mentors, can empower youth and strengthen
communities. We have seen it in our own programs,
and we need to do more.
