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In 2008, the Shake-A-Leg/Sailing Miracles CEO and Number 1 ranked disabled skipper in the USA was becoming increasingly restless that all disabled sailors were capable of so much more than currently acknowledged. After some lengthy and stimulating discussions, philanthropic minded and part-time Jamestown resident Arthur Shlossman agreed. In November 2008, Schlossman donated his classic 12 Metre and three time America’s Cup contender, Easterner, to the Shake-A Leg/Sailing Miracles Adaptive Sailing program. Disabled Sailing Will Never Be the Same Easterner will now be used by sailors of all disabilities from Boston to New York City while her home port will remain in Newport. Since its beginnings 1982 Shake-A-Leg has served more than 10,000 disabled physically and intellectually challenged people, and has now expanded its proven therapeutic model to reach children with cancer. In 2008, Jan and Carrie Slee donated their 12 Metre, Enterprise, for a pilot program to the Shake-A-Leg/Sailing Miracles Adaptive Sailing program in conjunction with Hasbro Children’s Hospital located in Providence, RI. Children undergoing chemotherapy, along with their doctors and parents, gathered at Newport Shipyard, use of which was donated by Managing Director and Owner, Charlie Dana, a stalwart supporter of the Shake-A-Leg/ SailingMiracles organization.As a newly united team, they all left their treatments And concerns at the dock.
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From this point forward, the children, parents and doctors combined their zest for life and worked side by side as a team for common goals outside of their clinic, producing magical benefits! This pilot program aboard an America’s Cup yacht was so successful that Callahan and his team are off and running again — making history serving others. In addition to this expanded aspect of this unique sailing therapy program which attempts to produce increased Potential medical benefits for these children fighting cancer, Easterner will continue serve many of its nearly two thousand Shake-A-Leg/Sailing Miracles’s spinal chord, autistic and multiple other disabled sailors all summer long. This proven Shake-A-Leg/Sailing Miracles model is being elevated to heights never before contemplated. In fact, Skipper Callahan and the whole Shake-A-Leg/Sailing Miracles team will compete in The Golden Year of Sailing. For the first time ever at this level, a team consisting of disabled and able-bodied sailors will compete in a racing circuit previously reserved for the more fortunate professional ablebodied sailors. All this effort will culminate in The 12 Metre World Championship in Newport. For more information, please
contact For more information and program details, please visit www. shakealeg.org return to Newport Harbor Guide Articles |
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