Program Feature | Jackson Park Yacht Club Foundation: Open Horizons Youth Sailing Program
“Thanks to this support [from the Chicago Yacht Club Foundation] we are able to reach even more kids, many of whom have never even seen Lake Michigan, let alone had the opportunity to be on a boat.”
- Karen Harris, President, Jackson Park Yacht Club Foundation
July 14, 2022
This year, the Chicago Yacht Club Foundation is delighted to be the Platinum Sponsor of the Open Horizons Youth Sailing Program, an initiative of the Jackson Park Yacht Club Foundation. The Open Horizons program targets low-income, at-risk youth of color (ages 8 to 18) and teaches them leadership, teamwork, resilience, and conflict resolution skills through sailing.
Through classroom and on-water activities, the Open Horizons program covers traditional sailing skills (e.g., nautical terms, points of sail and safety) as well as many other skills that kids need to succeed in today’s world.
The Open Horizons program runs in five different sessions through the summer, and serves more than 200 kids in the Englewood and South Shore communities. The final class in each session is a “Parents’ Night” where parents visit Jackson Park Outer Harbor and watch their kids show off their new sailing skills. We have seen two “Parents’ Nights” so far, and were thrilled to see how excited the kids were to show off their newfound talents.
Jackson Park Yacht Club is a fellow member of the Chicago Area Sail Racing Association and has worked closely with Chicago Yacht Club for more than a century to support sailing in Chicago.
“We are so thankful for the Chicago Yacht Club Foundation’s generous support as a Platinum Sponsor of our Open Horizons program,” said Karen Harris, past Commodore of the Jackson Park Yacht Club and current President of the Jackson Park Yacht Club Foundation. “Thanks to this support we are able to reach even more kids, many of whom have never even seen Lake Michigan, let alone had the opportunity to be on a boat,” she said.
The Foundation is thrilled to partner with our friends at the Jackson Park Yacht Club Foundation to bring the joys and benefits of boating to kids near Jackson Park Harbor.
