Disaster Strikes
Due to record-breaking snowfalls this winter, on March 15, 2015, the roof collapsed on the barn where we were storing our entire
fleet of rowing sculls. Four of our nine key sculls were destroyed, including the racing quad used
to train our Canada Games athletes. Our brand new 3 day old trailer
was also damaged. Luckily, our fleet was insured. However, since insurance does not cover replacement value, Rowing PEI needs your help to cover the shortfall.
Small But Mighty!
We
are one of the smallest rowing clubs in Canada. We row out of the Charlottetown Harbour, on the Hillsborough River. Our humble beginning started in 2010 with a handful of members and some loaner boats
from Rowing Canada. We have steadily grown to the point where we sent a
team of ten youth athletes to the 2013 Canada Games and
have more than 50 members. We
have slowly grown our fleet and due to our unique coastal waters, we are making great progress towards becoming Canada's premier coastal rowing destination. However, this recent tragedy has presented some daunting
challenges for our small but mighty Club.
The operating budget for Rowing PEI comes almost entirely from
annual membership fees. Our volunteers are our backbone and we have no full time staff. We receive a small amount of much-appreciated government funding for sport development but that won’t help us in this situation. We are a
not-for-profit organization and operate on a razor-thin budget. We desperately need to replace our damaged
sculls in order to operate our Club this
season, including training our youth athletes for the 2017 Canada Games. If we don't operate this summer, we won’t have enough revenue
to keep the club afloat. It’s as simple as that.
The Way Forward
For the Club to operate this summer, we must act quickly and order replacement sculls asap in order for them to arrive in time for the upcoming season. Insurance will cover some but not all of the costs.
We want to be realistic with our fundraising -- which is why we are only asking for $5,000. This request will cover the bare minimum costs but in no way addresses the entire shortfall. We propose to spend the $5,000 we raise here over the next 3 months in the following way:
1. Insurance Deductible - $1000
2. Temporary Storage - $500
3. Transport 4 New Sculls From Quebec to PEI - $500
4. Scull Replacement (Total Cost $7000) - $3000
Storage Facility
Our Club is one of the few rowing clubs in Canada that lacks a permanent storage facility for our assets. Our plan is to continue renting temporary storage into the future until we are in a financial position to build a permanent storage facility.
Media Coverage
We're incredibly grateful to the PEI media for their coverage of our situation. You can view the stories here:
http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/Canada/PEI/ID/2659652586/
http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/News/Local/2015-03...
Thank You!
We are asking for your help. We are a small club with big dreams. With your donation, you will help keep our club afloat
and rebound from this incredible loss. Please don’t let this setback be the
end of rowing on Prince Edward Island.
We hope our story will touch the hearts of the rowing community
and corporate donors across Canada and beyond.
Sincerely,
Rowing PEI Board of Directors