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BoatUS News: West Marine Donates Youth Life Jackets

While BoatUS Foundation Helps by Finding Good "Homes"
Community Sailing program

Community Sailing program

The kids with the Traverse Area Community Sailing program in Traverse City, Michigan, enjoy their new, comfortable life jackets thanks to the goodwill of the boating products retailer, West Marine.

WATSONVILLE, Calif., August 27, 2012 – West Marine, the nation’s largest specialty retailer of boating supplies and accessories has teamed up with the non-profit BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water to give away over 2500 life jackets. West Marine donated the easy-to-wear, type-III vest-style life jackets while the BoatUS Foundation found good “homes” for these critical life-saving devices at camps, for use in programs targeting at-risk youth, and in community swimming and sailing programs. Additionally, the National Safe Boating Council and several state boating agencies in Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Washington and Florida received jackets.

“As part of our BlueFutureTM initiative, we encourage kids to get out on the water and enjoy boating,” said Chuck Hawley, VP of Product Information for West Marine. “We hope this donation will enable more youth to explore the wonders of our country’s beautiful lakes, oceans and rivers safely.”

“We looked at the wide variety of summer camp and sailing programs that get youth on the water, and saw a real need,” said Lynne O’Hearn of the BoatUS Foundation. “We greatly appreciate West Marine’s effort and I’m sure the kids will appreciate wearing these comfortable jackets instead of the standard orange horse-collar-type jacket that most camps offer. If kid’s learn early that life jackets can be comfortable, they will embrace wearing them their entire lives.”

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A list of camps and groups receiving West Marine donated life jackets include:

CA: Mataguay Scout Ranch (Boy Scouts), San Diego

San Diego Youth Aquatic Center, San Diego

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The School of Sailing & Seamanship / Orange Coast College, Newport Beach

GA: Camp Meriweather (Girl Scouts), Luthersville

ID: Camp Four Echoes (Girl Scouts), Worley

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MI: Traverse Area Community Sailing, Traverse City

Inland Sea Education Association, Suttons Bay

Maritime Heritage Alliance, Traverse City

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NC: Chestnut Ridge Camp and Retreat Center, Efland

NJ: YMCA Camp Ralph S. Mason, Hardwick

NH: Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts, Bedford

NY: Camp Li-lo-li, Randolph

Sodus Bay Yacht Club Youth Sailing Program, Sodus Bay

–– Source: BoatUS News

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