Here comes the...fog?

Though the calendar says that July is about to begin, I would swear it is October. Today I stopped by the beach (Shay's if you grew up here, Constitution if you didn't) and found the lifeguard chairs empty. There was no one there to guard. Some small children were in the play area, and three had ventured onto the sand to make a sandcastle.

Over at Piers Park a steady wind blew off the water and a bank of clouds sat atop the city skyline, a blanket thrown down to keep us from seeing the sun. The showers and cool temperatures are forecast to continue until at least Friday. Don't despair: the 4th of July looks like it'll be around 80 with mostly sunny skies.

On the waterfront

The youth sailing programs at Piers Park are in jeopardy this year because of Bernie Madoff's financial shenanigans. The Boston Herald reports that three foundations that were victimized in the giant Ponzi scheme have pulled funding, leaving the kids landlocked this spring and summer.

The Piers Park Sailing Center, in its 10th season, offers programs for adults and children, as well as having the only fully handicap-accessible dock in New England, which allows the disabled to participate. The group is trying to make up for the half-million dollar shortfall that is a result of the scam and the weak economy.

Contributions can be made online at piersparksailing.org or sent to:

Piers Park Sailing Center
95 Marginal Street
East Boston, MA 02128

Update (5/16): While the folks at the Piers Park Sailing Center appreciated the Herald's focus on their program, they've pointed out that the newspaper got some of the numbers wrong. The program's executive director, Mat Rosa, sent out the following email, which I received via Joe Mason:

This past Sunday, the Boston Herald ran a story on Piers Park Sailing Center. We anticipated the story to highlight the great work being done at Piers Park and raise awareness of this organization’s Spring Appeal campaign, “Sponsor a Youth”.

On behalf of our staff, Board of Directors, those who support our mission and the thousands of families we serve, I would like to offer this response to the article.

It was a great opportunity for Piers Park to be featured on the front page of a publication with the volume of readers as the Herald. Unfortunately, this article may have raised concerns about the sustainability of our organization.

The story portrayed the Center as experiencing a dire financial situation. However, the figures mentioned in this article were not correct. To date we have raised over $100,000 towards our annual operating budget of $339,500. With our fund raising campaign we are confident in our ability to secure the funds we need to continue to run a fabulous program.

It is also with sincere regret that The Shapiro Family Foundation was mentioned by name in this piece. This foundation has long been a strong supporter of the mission of Piers Park and continues to be a great resource and champion for our organization and the families we serve.

I hope the sensationalized vulnerability of a non-profit organization in this difficult economic climate did not deter from the story that highlighted the great work we do for underserved youth and the disabled community. We are by no means experiencing unprecedented difficulty. Piers Park Sailing Center is a vibrant organization that is alive and well, continuing our important mission of providing unique educational opportunities for the communities we serve.

Spring cleaning

***East Boston resident Robert DeCoste is organizing a clean-up of Peddocks Island, located in Boston Harbor, for Saturday, June 7. A student at Mass. Maritime Academy, DeCoste is working with the state Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Boston Harbor Island Alliance, and the Friends of the Boston Harbor Islands on the project, and he is looking for donors and volunteers. DeCoste has made a video of some of the five thousand pounds of trash and debris that litters the island's shoreline and you can watch that by clicking here. If you'd like to contact him, his email address is robdmma@hotmail.com.

***This just in from Mary Berninger: "East Boston Kiwanis Club, in conjunction with its sister clubs in Revere and Winthrop, is spearheading a cleanup of the Belle Isle Reservation for this Saturday, April 5. The event is scheduled to run from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation will be supplying rakes, trash bags, gloves and other equipment."