Clearwater Rowing Elite (CRE)

The Clearwater Rowing Elite (CRE) Initiative is focused on the current and future success of urban high school students. There are four components to this initiative.

(1) Academics

(2) Athletics

(3) Healthy Lifestyle Choices

(4) Community Service

These four components join together to create the best opportunity for these high school students to succeed in high school and gain admittance to accredited colleges as preparation for a successful future.

Community Involvement

A large focus of what we do is instill in our participants that they have unique talents and gifts that are of great value to society.

We prove this to our students by involving them in community service on a regular basis.

During the year our organization will partner with several charitable organizations to further their causes while instilling in our participants the importance of making a difference in their communities.

We will have a strong partnership with the Red Cross.  We will hold blood drives at our facility every two months.   Our participants will be instrumental in getting the word out that each blood drive is taking place so the surrounding community can be a part of the effort.  Our students will make phone calls to people who have given blood at one of our prior drives in an effort to secure their donations again.  During the summer program, six hours will be devoted to furthering the cause of the Red Cross.  Our students and those who are joining us for the week will work with the Red Cross to assist in whatever current need the Red Cross is fulfilling at the time.

We will proctor ACT, SAT, and Advanced Placement tests at our facility.  This will allow our students the opportunity to conveniently sit for these exams.  This will help the surrounding community by providing another location for testing.

We will support the United States Military.  Twice each year our families will be gathering for social events:  one a Fourth of July party and one a Thanksgiving Gathering.  At each of these family events the participants and their families will create packets for US Military Personnel stationed overseas.  The packets will include home baked cookies (made in our kitchen by the students themselves), a handwritten thank you card or letter, and a small craft the Military Member can carry with him or her to remind them that those of us in the states appreciate the daily sacrifice they and their families make for our safety.

We will have a strong relationship with the County Children’s Services in assisting this organization twice each year.  First, during our Super Bowl Party, the students and their families will take supplies that are donated prior to the event (which the participants will solicit from various companies) and create Birthday Bags that the County Children’s Services can distribute to children in need.  Second, on Christmas Eve our participants will gather unsold Christmas Trees from Christmas Tree lots and dressed up like elves will deliver the trees and donated trimmings and gifts specific to each family, to families designated by children’s services.  Prior to Christmas Eve the participants will secure donations of trees, trimmings, and the gifts requested by Children’s Services.

On Halloween Evening our participants will transform the boat house in to a “haunted boat house” specifically geared to the kindergarten student.  We will work with the Boy Scouts, Tiger Cub Division, and the Girl Scouts, Brownie Division, to bring in these Tiger Cubs and Brownies for two hours of fun and merit badge completion.

During our First Year Participant Labor Day Weekend Retreat the participants will prepare donated backpacks stuffed with donated school supplies for needy students in the local City Schools.  Prior to the retreat our participants will solicit donations from the community at large and various corporate entities to create these backpacks.

 

When	Who Benefits	What
Last Saturday in January Sweetheart Dance	Food Pantry	Food Drive
Mid January	Red Cross	Blood Drive
Super Bowl Party	Children Services	Birthday Bags
Mid March	Red Cross	Blood Drive
Mid May	Red Cross	Blood Drive
4th of July BBQ	Military	Thank you gifts
Summer Week 1	Habitat for Humanity	At their designated site
Summer Week 2	Environmental Cleanup	At their designated site
Summer Week 3	Local Libraries	At their designated site
Summer Week 4	Local Recreation and Parks	At their designated site
Summer Week 5	Red Cross	At their designated site
Mid July	Red Cross	Blood Drive
Summer Week 6	Humane Society	At their designated site
Summer Week 7	Local Mission	At their designated site
Summer Week 8	Pregnancy Distress Center	At their designated site
Summer Week 9	Boys and Girls Club	At their designated site
Summer Week 10	Zoo	At their designated site
Labor Day Weekend Freshman Retreat	Local Schools	Backpack Stuffing
Mid September	Red Cross	Blood Drive
Halloween Regatta	Brownies and Tiger Cubs	Trick or Treat Haunted House
Thanksgiving Friday	Military	Thank you gifts
Mid December	Red Cross	Blood Drive
Christmas Eve	Children Services	Christmas Tree/Present Delivery

 

How can you help?

There are several opportunities to assist by supporting our youth with your role model presence. Read about them here.

If you have talents or skills or other resources you feel will be of value to this program, please let us know here.

Clearwater Rowing Elite (CRE) is one of the the four core initiatives of the Helen Davis Foundation. The goal of the Clearwater Rowing Elite initiative is to assist high school aged students in gaining admittance to an accredited college and to instill in these same students the desire for life-long learning, continued active fitness, establish healthy lifestyle habits, and community serivce involvement on a regular basis.