On Thursday, April 7th, Community Rowing held the Opening Day of their expanded Veterans Rowing Program. Targeted at able-bodied veterans back home on the G.I. Bill, the program complements CRI's many successful adaptive and outreach initiatives. The day ended with twenty or more veterans signed up to participate in the coming year.
The event, according to Director of Outreach Ellen Minzner, was intended to generate "attention and momentum around a particular day [to] really launch the program and get people going." The day included recognition of veterans, boathouse tours, and a victory row on the Charles River by a mixed crew of CRI's new Veteran rowers.
Joining the veterans in attendance was Massachusetts Secretary of Veterans' Services Coleman Nee, himself a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and Operation Desert Storm. Appointed in 2007 as Undersecretary of Veterans' Services, he led the department's creation of new initiatives to increase services for veterans, including more than 30,000 Massachusetts veterans returning from service abroad.
Community Rowing, Inc. began offering rowing programs for veterans in 2010, and since then the program has grown and gained in popularity as both a recreational and therapeutic outlet for returning service men and women. By addressing both the social and fitness needs of veterans and disabled members of the armed forces, CRI's Veterans Rowing Program meets a profound need. While there is a growing awareness about the need and desire for physical activity among the disabled, fitness options and opportunities for individuals with special needs are still limited.
On Thursday, Minzner found the veterans "totally motivated" to learn how to row, noting that the fact that they are all "well trained to listen and follow orders" made them very easy to coach. Some of the veterans took to the water for the very first time during the day's Victory Row, a short lap coxed by Minzner herself, who said the boat rowed really well, considering the lack of experience. The lineup, pictured at left, included Pat Carpenter at stroke, Gabe Sanchez, David Lobron, William Jones, David Williams, Krystal McEuen, Wayne Woods, and Leigh Terry in bow.
Minzner said afterwards that she found it "amazingly inspirational to work with these veterans" adding that they are "really the type who are ready and able to give back as well to contribute to the whole CRI community by getting involved in some of our other programs." For Minzner, who sees successful outreach as a two-way street, the event was a great example of how "bringing people into rowing is good for the individual and also good for the community."
CRI, an organization with more than 2,000 members and a range of programs for beginners, recreational rowers, and competitive athletes, was founded in 1985 by a group of Olympic and National Team Rowers with the goal of widening the circle of rowing and securing public access for the sport on the Charles River. "Programs like this have always been part of the mission," Minzner noted, at CRI, but the new boathouse and facilities allows the staff to fulfill that mission "in a much bigger way."
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