[AEN] Chautauqua Foundation/Texas River School - July Moonlight Float & More

Mon Jul 14 21:54:23 CDT 2008

From: Joe Kendall joekendall at mindspring.com

The Chautauqua Reporter

July 2008 Edition

July Moonlight Float: To be heldSaturday, July 19thfrom7:00 to10:00 pm. on the docks of Texas Rowing Center (across from Austin High School ), benefiting Texas River School .  

Our monthlypotluck & moonlight float is an inexpensive way to treat yourself and your family to a pleasant evening of fun and adventure on the river.  Bring your favorite dish to share and a non-alcoholic beverage to quench your thirst.  

If you have reserved a kayak or canoe, please check-in at the Rowing Center Office upon arrival to make payment and receive a wristband.  If you have your own floating device, bring it!  Your kind donation is appreciated.  The fee of $15per adult and $10per child goes toward getting more youth on the river.  

Call 512-467-7799to make your reservations now – we fill up fast.  For directions go to http://www.texasrowingcenter.com/ map_contact_main.htm

Ø       Potluckbegins at 7:00pm, TexasRowing Centerwill provide a main food item.
Ø       Live MusicbyLikely Stories, featuring Phil Lancaster & Alison Moore with special guests Jenny Leigh Obert & Burning Grass.
Ø       Floatstarts at 7:30pm, down to the Congress Street Bridge to see those fabulous BATS. 
Come down and help us celebrate community, nature, and healthy lifestyles!  Make sure to get there early, there’s sure to be a good crowd.

For more information on Texas River School , please visit www.texasriverschool.org

Here’s what else is going on. . . 

Paddlefest 2008:  We are so excited about our annual fundraiser coming up on Saturday, September 6th, on the docks of Texas Rowing Center !  There will be live music by Bill Oliver and the Otter Space Band, good food, lot’s of fun, and 75 items to bid on at the silent auction. . .which reminds me, we are still accepting auction items and all levels of sponsorship.  If, for some reason, you are unable to attend our event, please send your tax-deductible contributions to The Chautauqua Foundation, Inc., 801 W. Gibson Street , Austin , Texas , 78704 , or contact Paddlefest Committee Chair, Ann Reed, at 512-743-9685 or 512-447-0238, with auction items or sponsorship inquiries.  

Speaking of Bill Oliver:Did you know that Saturday, July 12, was Bill Oliver’s 60th birthday?  Bill is a huge supporter of getting kids on the river, as well as turning kids onto being good stewards of Mother Earth.  Please join The Chautauqua Foundation in sending birthday blessings (a few days late) to Bill “Mr. Habitat” Oliver.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BILL!!   

Texas River School: The River School program continues to transform kids on the river.  
On June 17, I took a day off work to go through the “Discover the Source” program with 25 girls from the Ann Richards Academy .  This was my very first trip and I had a blast!  It was a true delight to see the transformation that took place in these girls from the beginning of the day to the end.  When they arrived on the docks of Texas Rowing Center they had a curious but scared look on their faces.  By the end of the day, they were tired but laughing, and hung in there like troopers until all canoes and gear were put away.  

As they lined up to board the bus for their return trip home, Spider had one last question for them, “What did you learn today?”  Their answers:  “The different parts of the paddle, the tip, the face, the neck, the grip,” “How to do a backwards and forwards C to turn the boat,” “The different parts of the canoe, the bow & stern,” “The proper way to get in and out of a canoe,” “How to snorkel and walk backwards when you’re wearing flippers,” “That it’s important to have your lips completely around the mouth of the snorkel,” “In a canoe, you have to work together and not fight.” 

Since May, Texas River School has taken 189 kids on the river.  There are a few more trips scheduled for July and August, which will increase that number to 264 by the end of the summer.  Our goal this year is to take 425 kids through the program, and it looks like we’re gonna make it…yahoo!  

Next scheduled trips are for Wednesday, July 16, and Wednesday, August 13, both trips with the Boys and Girls Club of Austin.  I highly encourage all of you to take a day off  from work and go out with the kids!

The River Camp: The River Camp will be a new experience for the kids once they have graduated from Texas River School ’s “Discover the Source” day-long program.  The River Camp is in its conceptual stages right now and includes 13 lots on the Colorado River about five miles east of the Longhorn Dam.  The camp will eventually be developed as a gated, overnight camping facility for Chautauqua sponsored groups.  We expect to serve an average of about 1,000 students per year.  

In support of the River Camp, we are very pleased to inform you that long-time Board member Dr. Gary Rassner sent a generous contribution that will cover current operating expenses for the entire year.  This donation comes at a very good time because it keeps us from having to divert funds from the River School program.

In an effort to deter the current problem of illegal dumping, and address the issue of security, The Chautauqua Foundation, with the help of long-time Board attorney, Wayne Gronquist, held the first meeting of the Imperial Valley Section One Land Owners’ Association on Saturday, June 21st.   In attendance were five parcel owners and four adjacent neighbors, who are concerned about the negative activity taking place on the land.    

After review and discussion of the proposed Articles of Incorporation, it was unanimouslyagreedthat they be accepted and that Wayne file them with the Secretary of State.  Thereupon, the selection of a Board of Directors was made which quickly and unanimously agreed that construction of an entrance gate with fencing should commence as soon as possible.  To expedite securing the area, The Chautauqua Foundation has made application to the Junior League of Austin for emergency funding, which will cover the cost of erecting a gate, fence, and security camera at the property’s entrance.  There was also discussion on the possibility of assessing members for the cost of occasional road maintenance.  

In order to facilitate interest and support for the future of the River Camp, The Chautauqua Foundation would like to hold fundraising canoe trips from Longhorn Dam to the River Camp, that’s about a five mile trip.  We’ve already taken some friends, and it’s a great float.  This would be a fun outing for a group of friends, family members, or co-workers, with all of your outfitting needs provided.  If this sounds like an adventure you would like to experience, please call Joe at 512-447-0238 for details.

Thank you so much, and remember ‘Our goal is to get kids on the river’…anything you can do to help is greatly appreciated.

Linda Overton
Secretary 
The Chautauqua Foundation, Inc.

(The Chautauqua Foundation, Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) organization.  To make donations, become a sponsor, or get more information, please phone: 512-447-0238 or visit www.texasriverschool.org

As always, please forward this to anyone you think might be interested. . .or let us know if you prefer to be removed from this list.  
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