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Press Release
High Honors For Sea Quest Kids
For Immediate Release
Subject: Sea Quest Kids update
Date: March 4, 2004
Story: This past January at the United States Power Squadrons' annual meeting the Advance America Foundation Sea Quest Kids were highly honored by then Chief Commander Ted Smith. Sea Quest Kids and their Fearless Leader, Steve Gronka were singled out at least five times for their fourteen years of meritorious work in boat building and boating and water safety for kids. Gronka was honored with an honorary membership in the United States Power Squadrons.
The USPS annual meeting was attended by 1,100 top officials of the USPS and leading executives of the US Army Corps of Engineers, NOAA, Coast Guard, Boy Scouts Of America, Boat US Foundation, several national boating safety organizations, and some of the leading children's safety organizations in the country. Sunny Orlando was even sunnier for the Sea Quest Kids in the glow of the high honors and recognition received.
Ted Smith, now the Past Chief Commander (P/C/C), recognized Sea Quest Kids two times in his final address as the Chief Commander before turning over the high command to Leslie Johnson, the incoming Chief Commander. It was at the Children's Hospital at Montefiore in the Bronx, New York, that then Chief Commander Ted Smith had a life changing experience with the Sea Quest Kids. He diverted in from an event in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida sensing that this boat building experience had historical dimensions for the marine industry and medicine. This would be the first time in marine industry and medical history that boat building was used as treatment for kids in treatment at a major medical facility.
In his final address to those assembled at the annual meeting and referring to his experience with the Sea Quest Kids, C/C Smith said, "These personal experiences will never be equaled as to a measure of success…" This type of reaction to working with Sea Quest Kids is what is often experienced. In the words of former Greenbay Packer, Mike Cline, "building boats with the Sea Quest Kids was a watershed life experience for me! It was totally unexpected in gravity, power, and impact on kids and the adult supervisors! In fact, I thought the kids were going to build little model boats and no idea they could build a ten-foot boat in a matter of hours! To this day, my friend's kids continue to say it was the greatest day of their lives to build a Sea Quest 100!"
Sea Quest Kids will again be honored by the USPS at the gala 90th Anniversary Celebration held in the venerable halls of the New York Yacht Club. The USPS will be celebrating ninety great years as the leading boating safety organization in the USA. In actuality the Power Squadrons are now international in scope. The international scale of Sea Quest Kids and the Power Squadrons desire to work with kids make them well suited to combine forces to make great strides in teaching boating safety to children.
In other Sea Quest Kids news, the just ended Miami International Boat Show was highly successful for the Sea Quest Kids. Eight pages of notebook size business card holders filled with cards were evidence of exploding interest in people and organizations starting Sea Quest Kids little league of boating teams in their area. The National Marine Manufacturers Association, Atlanta and Tampa Boat Show Manager, Melisa Malone requested Sea Quest Kids to exhibit at her two shows.
At the Miami International Boat Show, the announcement of the Liberty Grand Prix Offshore OPA Nationals was also extremely well received. A "buzz" about an offshore race to be the grand finale for Navy Week, the annual birthday celebration for the US Navy brought people to the Sea Quest Kids booth. Most racers and manufacturers agreed that this could become the most prestigious event in offshore racing in 2004.
Mike Cline the former Greenbay Packer and XO Communications Corporate Phone System executive in Ft. Lauderdale now has two celebrity golf tournaments where Sea Quest Kids is a named charity beneficiary. The Deschatelet-Cline Tournament will be held at the Atlantis Hotel Resort on Grand Bahama Island and the second will be held in Palm Beach, Florida.
For more information on Sea Quest Kids, go to www.advanceaf.org or E-mail: sgronka@cs.com.
Press Release
High Honors For Sea Quest Kids
For Immediate Release
Subject: Sea Quest Kids update
Date: March 4, 2004
Story: This past January at the United States Power Squadrons' annual meeting the Advance America Foundation Sea Quest Kids were highly honored by then Chief Commander Ted Smith. Sea Quest Kids and their Fearless Leader, Steve Gronka were singled out at least five times for their fourteen years of meritorious work in boat building and boating and water safety for kids. Gronka was honored with an honorary membership in the United States Power Squadrons.
The USPS annual meeting was attended by 1,100 top officials of the USPS and leading executives of the US Army Corps of Engineers, NOAA, Coast Guard, Boy Scouts Of America, Boat US Foundation, several national boating safety organizations, and some of the leading children's safety organizations in the country. Sunny Orlando was even sunnier for the Sea Quest Kids in the glow of the high honors and recognition received.
Ted Smith, now the Past Chief Commander (P/C/C), recognized Sea Quest Kids two times in his final address as the Chief Commander before turning over the high command to Leslie Johnson, the incoming Chief Commander. It was at the Children's Hospital at Montefiore in the Bronx, New York, that then Chief Commander Ted Smith had a life changing experience with the Sea Quest Kids. He diverted in from an event in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida sensing that this boat building experience had historical dimensions for the marine industry and medicine. This would be the first time in marine industry and medical history that boat building was used as treatment for kids in treatment at a major medical facility.
In his final address to those assembled at the annual meeting and referring to his experience with the Sea Quest Kids, C/C Smith said, "These personal experiences will never be equaled as to a measure of success…" This type of reaction to working with Sea Quest Kids is what is often experienced. In the words of former Greenbay Packer, Mike Cline, "building boats with the Sea Quest Kids was a watershed life experience for me! It was totally unexpected in gravity, power, and impact on kids and the adult supervisors! In fact, I thought the kids were going to build little model boats and no idea they could build a ten-foot boat in a matter of hours! To this day, my friend's kids continue to say it was the greatest day of their lives to build a Sea Quest 100!"
Sea Quest Kids will again be honored by the USPS at the gala 90th Anniversary Celebration held in the venerable halls of the New York Yacht Club. The USPS will be celebrating ninety great years as the leading boating safety organization in the USA. In actuality the Power Squadrons are now international in scope. The international scale of Sea Quest Kids and the Power Squadrons desire to work with kids make them well suited to combine forces to make great strides in teaching boating safety to children.
In other Sea Quest Kids news, the just ended Miami International Boat Show was highly successful for the Sea Quest Kids. Eight pages of notebook size business card holders filled with cards were evidence of exploding interest in people and organizations starting Sea Quest Kids little league of boating teams in their area. The National Marine Manufacturers Association, Atlanta and Tampa Boat Show Manager, Melisa Malone requested Sea Quest Kids to exhibit at her two shows.
At the Miami International Boat Show, the announcement of the Liberty Grand Prix Offshore OPA Nationals was also extremely well received. A "buzz" about an offshore race to be the grand finale for Navy Week, the annual birthday celebration for the US Navy brought people to the Sea Quest Kids booth. Most racers and manufacturers agreed that this could become the most prestigious event in offshore racing in 2004.
Mike Cline the former Greenbay Packer and XO Communications Corporate Phone System executive in Ft. Lauderdale now has two celebrity golf tournaments where Sea Quest Kids is a named charity beneficiary. The Deschatelet-Cline Tournament will be held at the Atlantis Hotel Resort on Grand Bahama Island and the second will be held in Palm Beach, Florida.
For more information on Sea Quest Kids, go to www.advanceaf.org or E-mail: sgronka@cs.com.
Advance America Foundation:
6 South Dillwyn Road
Newark, DE 19711
Phone: 404-434-0660
Web: www.advanceaf.org