Content about female volunteer

To celebrate the first Winds of Joy sailing program for children with disability in Hobart, a major milestone in the history of the organisation, today Sailors with disABILITITES is launching a unique, digital archive of its first 21 years: 21 Years of SWD.

We are grateful to Women Who Sail Australia for choosing SWD as one of the charities for funds raised at the April Gathering on the Bay conference in Port Stephens.  We chatted to Women Who Sail Australia (WWSA) spokeswoman Caitlin Harris who said, "WWSA's mission is to connect women on the water. Our goal is to create communities, empower women, and encourage a love of sailing and respect for the ocean environment. Supporting SWD is part of our vision to create inclusive communities and make sailing accessible and welcoming to everyone."

Volunteer Interview Ruth Lilian OAM: Meet our volunteer, Ruth Lilian OAM, helping you on your journey to membership and volunteering with SWD.  What was your motivation for volunteering with SWD? I was looking at all the organisations that might interest me and through Volunteering NSW I saw the call for volunteers for SWD.

"They loved it. It allowed the frightened children to push themselves in a nurturing environment. They didn't see crew as people with disabilities and they don't see themselves as people with disabilities. It was nice for them to see people with disabilities doing exciting stuff and for that to be normal. It was very empowering."

This year is the 31st running of the Land Rover Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race.The race starts tomorrow, Saturday, 30 July, on Sydney Harbour at 1pm and Sailors with disABILITIES will be racing with a full crew of people with disabilities and able-bodied people on WOT EVA.

SWD launches its Northern Campaign on July 21, an outreach program for children with disabilities. This is an annual effort that takes the yacht, Kayle, and SWD volunteers who crew it from Sydney to Rosslyn Bay, Mackay, Southport and Coffs Harbour during the next 8 weeks. Called Winds of Joy, SWD runs this same program every year, as we have for over 18 years.

• Queensland dates for schools
• Cruising Yacht Club of Australia Partnership
• Launching SWD Melbourne at Docklands
• Winds of Joy Melbourne
• Letter from Vermont South Special School
• ​On-Water ​Volunteers Needed:​ Melbourne Queensland and Hobart​
• Xylem on Board in 2016
• ASX Thomson Reuters Foundation Charity
• A New Look at Impact​: Check our figures if you like!

To celebrate the first Winds of Joy sailing program for children with disability in Hobart, a major milestone in the history of the organisation, today Sailors with disABILITITES is launching a unique, digital archive of its first 21 years: 21 Years of SWD.

The Sydney to Sydney Challenge was an event in which Sailors with disABILITIES set out to set a world record for the Sydney to Lord Howe Island passage with a crew of 10 in a mono-hull yacht, the TP-52 WOT EVA. 

In this newsletter you'll read about:

• NSW Volunteer Team of the Year Award
• Sydney to Hobart preparation
• Volunteer Interview
• Northern Campaign wrap up
• Testimonials: drawings by children in the Northern Campaign
• Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, SWD Patron

What made you want to volunteer with SWD? I believe in the ethos of SWD with my very soul. Having been there, physically disabled, and still struggling day to day with crippling pain, I bring a unique perspective to their struggles, too.

The second in a series of interviews with Sailors with disABILITIES volunteers. In this interview you will meet Jay, a crew and on-water program volunteer with SWD. Click here if you're interested in volunteering with SWD.

This is the first in a series of interviews with Sailors with disABILITIES volunteers. In this interview you will meet Jacqueline, a crew and on-water program volunteer with SWD. Click here to volunteer with SWD.