Take the Helm, which started in January of 2017, is providing youth with a chance to learn boat building skills and be a part of a unique group that is learning about themselves and how to be part of a team. This past weekend Adam Hollis, Director of Take the Helm, and crew members Creed Haddaway, Nate Moore, Isaac Little, Trinity Turnage, Evan Gostomski and Kristian Bailey were able to go the Bronx and visit Rockin the Boat, the group that was the inspiration for Take the Helm.
Adam Greene started Rocking the Boat about twenty years ago, and now has about one hundred youth in the after school program. Take the Helm and Rocking the Boat are similar, yet the boats are different. Rocking the Boat builds Whitehalls which are native to their area, where as Take the Helm builds flat bottom skiffs which are native to Talbot County. The crew along with Adam Hollis, traveled up the the Bronx to see Rocking the Boat’s end of year celebration and the launch of Kaleidoscope, their latest boat. It was an opportunity to see a larger program and what they are doing. The Take the Helm crew were given a tour and the history of the program. They even went rowing on the Bronx River.
Creed Haddaway enjoyed going on the trip. He stated “Their program is kind of different, the boat they launched was the fiftieth boat they have built.” He also said he really likes the Take the Helm program because he like hands on things like building. Isaac Little said the trip was fun and he learned about differences between the programs. He said “Their boats are built differently from ours and the shop is a large building that is near a river. They can launch form there”.
Adam Hollis, often says “We don’t only build boats, we build youth”. He and Jim Fodrie, lead boat builder, teach the kids woodworking skills, safety and shop maintenance. But what really happens when you have two fantastic staff is relationships form, mentoring abounds and teens learn much more than boatbuilding. As Nate Moore, participant in Take the Helm says, “Both Adam and Jim have been great mentors for all of us in the program. Although the kids in the program may take different classes at school or have different groups of friends, we all come together twice a week to work on one project. We are a team-we are working toward one goal”.
About the Y
The Y is one of the nation’s leading nonprofits and the largest Human Service organization on the Eastern Shore of Maryland; strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. Across the Shore Ys engage over 27,000 members; men, women and children – regardless of age, income or background – to nurture the potential of children and teens, improve the shore’s health and well-being, and provide opportunities to give back and support neighbors. In 2016, the YMCA of the Chesapeake provided over $1,226,000 in assistance to over 12,422 community members, turning no one away due to inability to pay. www.ymcachesapeake.org
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