Representatives of the East Boston YMCA receive Better Beaches Grant from representatives of Save the Harbor/Save the Bay, Harpoon Brewery and JetBlue Airways. Left to right, Donnie Todd, Chris Austill, Bruce Berman and Charlie Storey.
East Boston YMCA was awarded a $3,500 grant from the non-profit organization Save the Harbor/Save the Bay to support summer beach activities. The funds have been awarded in support of the YMCA’s “Summer Kick –off Event” that took place on June 18, the Summer Food Service Program, and series of future summer campfire events that will include a DJ and dancing on the beach.
Save the Harbor Save the Harbor/Save the Bay awarded more than $25,000 in grants to 12 groups to support 30 free public events in nine beachfront communities from Nahant to Nantasket at an awards breakfast at their office on the Boston Fish Pier last week.
This year’s “Better Beaches” events include sand sculpting competitions, beachfront concerts, environmental education programs, family fun nights, reading programs, and beach programs.
“The region’s 19 miles of sandy public beaches have the power to connect a million people with the Harbor we have worked so hard to restore and protect,” said President of Save the Harbor/Save the Bay Patricia A. Foley. “We are proud to support our partners in the city’s waterfront neighborhoods and beachfront communities as they work to bring the regions kids and families to their beaches and the harbor.”
In addition to the grant, Save the Harbor / Save the Bay also gave the Y and each other group 22 one-inch diameter blue marbles to scatter on their respective beaches. Anyone who finds one of these marbles between now and the end of the summer will be entered into a drawing to win one of five prizes of 40,000 TrueBlue points from JetBlue Airways. For more information regarding the giveaway, see “Simply Marble-ous” at http://www.blog.savetheharbor.org/2012/06/simply-marble-ous-beach-cleanup-kicks.html.
Save the Harbor’s “Better Beaches” program was launched in 2008 in partnership with The Boston Foundation, whose early support helped make it a success. In the past four years, local community partners in Eastie, Nahant, Lynn, Revere, Winthrop, South Boston, Dorchester, Quincy, and Hull have leveraged $116,500 in small grants from Save the Harbor with $403,500 in cash and in-kind donations from local government and small businesses for a total of $520,000 to support 130 free beach events and activities for everyone to enjoy.