Update: Full Sails and Open Hearts

Midwest Businessman Launches Special Program for Cognitively Impaired

INDIANAPOLIS, May 11, 2005 -- A lifelong love of sailing coupled with a driving desire to help the less fortunate has led an Indianapolis man to set out on what will eventually become an around-the-world journey of hope and education for children of all nationalities.

George Saidah, a successful entrepreneur and software engineer, is the founder and executive director of Heart of Sailing, a nonprofit foundation whose major function is to bring the wonder of the seafaring world to children with cognitive disorders. His first voyage will begin this fall with what Saidah hopes will become a lifetime of exposing children to possibilities they otherwise would not experience.

"I love sailing and this is a dream I have always wanted to accomplish," Saidah said. "There is nothing for kids with cognitive impairments in the sailing arena."

Saidah will travel from port to port in the United States, pick up between eight to 12 children and their caregivers, and take them on daylong sailing excursions. He is quick to point out, however, that the Heart of Sailing program offers more than just the simple pleasure of an afternoon on the water.

"They will learn [to the best of their ability] how to sail," he said. "They will help sail the boat; they are the crew."

Passengers will receive safety lessons, training in how to tie nautical knots and will be given a book about their adventure. They all will even receive their very own captain's cap - making them official "sailors." All passengers will be outfitted with lifejackets and the boat is fully equipped with all necessary safety equipment.

Heart of Sailing Program Director Amber Burton Small noted that the program will serve as a kind of therapy for the children. "It has been proven that there are therapeutic benefits of sensory experiences," she said.

After spending time along America's coastlines, Saidah's 49-foot catamaran will then set sail for the rest of the world - literally searching for ports to establish regional programs willing to help children learn about the joys of sailing. That journey will take approximately five years.

The American program is actually an offshoot of a very successful sailing initiative in France - Au Coeur Des Voiles (which translates to "the heart of sailing"). In the French program, which began in 2001, children are taken to a single port, where they board a 33-foot vessel for daytrips.

"A friend of mine started this program in France," Saidah said. "But he stays in one port and the children have to come to him. I want to set up many programs in many ports so we can come to the children."

The founder of the European Heart of Sailing program acts as a technical adviser for the American endeavor. Heart of Sailing is currently raising funds to help kick the program off and launch the boat - which will be delivered from its manufacturer in Les Sables D'Olonne, France, late this summer or in the early fall.

As part of the sailing experience for children of the world, Saidah is also publishing a children's book which each passenger will receive upon boarding. During the vessel's globe-trotting trek, Saidah will pen a book for adults and Small will write a series of children's books about the trip from the perspective of their two cats who will be full-time crew.

For more information on the Heart of Sailing program or to inquire about donations and sponsorship opportunities, log onto http://www.HeartofSailing.org.

For interview requests, contact:

Mandy Stahl
Tel: 800-839-8640 ext. 5312
Email: mstahl@authorhouse.com

For additional information, visit:

http://www.HeartofSailing.org

VolunTourism.org Travel and Volunteer Opportunities

VolunTourism.org Travel and Volunteer Opportunities

Heads up, guys. This website is a fantastic resource for those of you who would like to see the world as volunteers. I just love that blended word "VolunTourism". Here's the definition given on the website:

"VolunTourism: A seamlessly integrated combination of voluntary service to a destination and the best, traditional elements of travel—arts, culture, geography, and history—in that destination."

You'll find some excellent articles about VolunTourism and what the future holds with regard to VolunTourism.

Dynamic Voluntourism offers a life changing experience in India

"Relief Riders International is a humanitarian-based adventure travel company. We offer horseback journeys through developing countries, bringing important relief supplies to communities in need."

If one takes the time to review the various articles written about RRI Founder, Alexander Souri, you will soon realize that his very life has been an adventure. RRI, quite possibly, serves as both a metaphor of his personal journey and the fulfillment of a desire to expose others to a similar trek.

Whether you are intrigued by his family roots - Indian and French, or are impressed by his contributions to the Matrix and X-Men films, you may discover that he has articulated his creative ambition most dramatically through RRI. It is his vision that has combined voluntary service with the wonders of tourism in the unruffled and untamed interior of India.

Through partnerships with such organizations as the Indian Red Cross, Souri has created a unique approach to VolunTourism. In fact, the February 2005 Outside magazine named RRI its winner of "Best Trips 2005" for Asia, and included 46 other trips on its list of "Amazing Journeys & Dream Escapes," but none quite as compelling.

The fifteen-day relief effort/adventure starts well before VolunTourists arrive in Delhi. Souri and his team determine a route through select villages in a given region. The next step is to conduct assessments of the resident communities to establish what supplies and materials will assist them in fulfilling their needs. Wherever and whenever sustainability can be infused into villages, Souri identifies such options and incorporates them into the overall plan for an RRI trip - creating dependency is not a viable option as he sees it.

VolunTourists serve in a variety of capacities based upon skill sets and experience including: caravan organizing, medical team support, and supply distribution. The medical team that accompanies the group administers direct services to villagers in addition to the relief supplies. Residents are educated on rural medical challenges like HIV/AIDS through "street theatre" performances in conjunction with the medical camps that they set up in each village. Supplies may also include food when drought ravages the area.

If you have questions regarding the company you keep, make certain that animals are on your "acceptance" list. Goats, camels, and horses will be your daily companions in addition to your "two-legged" fellow VolunTourists. (Do not get too attached to the goats, however, they will eventually find their new abodes with villagers.) Nights, primarily, are spent under the stars while your days will pass straddling the back of a horse for an average of 20 - 25 miles daily. Due to enthusiastic response and demand from non-equestrians, RRI has created options that include traveling via jeep, camel cart, and elephant-back.

RRI is planning to expand its operations to other continents. Souri hopes to develop rides for South America and Africa utilizing the same format as the ones he has crafted for India. Thus, partnerships with other tour operators and NGO's may significantly enhance the development of such initiatives in areas that can truly benefit from this VolunTourism model.

Watch exciting ride footage of our trips:
http://www.reliefridersinternational.com/video/newsreel.wmv

See stunning photos from our slideshow:
http://www.reliefridersinternational.com/slideshow/index.htm

For more information please call 413.329.5876 or visit us on the web at: www.reliefridersinternational.com

This article first appeared in the May 2005 issue of "The VolunTourist" and was written by David Clemmons, Editor/Creator of that e-newsletter. It has been reprinted here with copyright permission from David Clemmons. For more information on VolunTourism or "The VolunTourist" please visit: www.voluntourism.org

Alexander Souri
Executive Director
Relief Riders International
www.reliefridersinternational.com
304 Main St Suite 3-B
Great Barrington, MA 01230

info@reliefridersinternational.com

Tel:413.329.5876

Marine Conservation Volunteer Work in the Red Sea

Marine Conservation Volunteer Work in the Red Sea

Although this is billed as a "volunteer" project, there is a "contribution" required to join the expeditions. BUT, if you are a diver, this could be a very interesting and fulfilling way to spend your holiday.

"Unlike the coastline of Australia where a body of water exists between land and fringing reef, Dahab sits on a premium reef habitat literally 5-50metres off shore. It is a remarkable place, the terminus of all routes leading east out of the barren, looming mountains of the Sinai. As such the human pressure exerted on the reef has immediate daily impact which needs to be managed. Working under the guidelines of the National Parks of Egypt and as part of the GVI conservation initiative, we can make a contribution to a sustainable relationship between all inhabitants of this ecosystem. "

Charity Choice - UK Charities Directory

Charity Choice - UK Charities Directory

I just could not resist including this UK encyclopedia of charities. It is especially dear to my heart because my Mother in Law has been on the editorial staff since its inception. The book is used by lawyers and libraries as an aid for those preparing wills and so on. All in all a very useful book, and the website is quite good as well.