HOCR Presents Community Rowing, Inc. “Raise Your Oars” Benefit, in collaboration with New Balance and USRowing

The Head Of The Charles® Regatta is pleased to announce the first annual Community
Rowing, Inc. “Raise Your Oars” Benefit, in collaboration with New Balance and
USRowing. The event will be held Friday, October 21 at 6 p.m. at the Lenox Hotel’s
Hospitality Tent on Attager Row and all proceeds will support the “Let’s Row Boston”
outreach programs at Community Rowing, Inc.
The event will feature a VIP meet & greet with Olympians, champagne & oysters, and a
live auction with items graciously donated by The Head Of The Charles® Regatta
Sponsors and local organizations. It will also celebrate the inaugural Community Impact
Award which honors an individual achieving excellence in the sport of rowing and giving
back to the New England community. The 2016 Community Impact Award will be
awarded to Lauren Schmetterling, a 2016 Olympic Gold Medalist, three-time World
Champion, and the 2015 USRowing Fan’s Choice National Team Athlete of the Year.
The focus of the evening will be on the community impact of the Head Of The Charles®
Regatta, New Balance, USRowing and the Lenox Hotel. The support of these
organizations is vital in ensuring that any student in the Boston Public Schools who is
interested in learning to row has the opportunity to pick up an oar or sit on an erg.
Community Rowing, Inc. has been an official charity partner of the Head Of the Charles®
Charity Program since its inception in 1998. In that time, the HOCR Charity Program
participants have raised more than $500,000 to benefit CRI’s Let’s Row Boston and Para
Rowing Programs. The two organizations collaborated on the introduction of Para
Rowing at the Head Of The Charles®
in 2010 and are committed to a community
partnership that improves access to the sport of rowing through CRI’s mission of
“Rowing for All.”
According Fred Schoch, HOCR Executive Director, “The Head Of The Charles®
is
pleased to continue to provide leadership and funding to CRI's very important Youth
Outreach program. CRI's unique ability to introduce our sport to kids for the first time
has proven to have had a dramatic impact on their lives. Access to the water is the first
step in influencing lives for the better. We deeply appreciate the commitment and effort
CRI has shown over these many years.”
The New Balance Foundation is also a long-standing supporter of Community Rowing,
Inc., and its “Let’s Row Boston” program, having donated over $500,000 since 2006.
Over the last several years, The New Balance Foundation SparkStart grants program has
helped CRI introduce nearly 10,000 youth to the sport of rowing. Let’s Row Boston is a
sport-based youth development program that is designed to improve academic
achievement, combat obesity, and encourage positive life choices among Boston Public
School youth. It is comprised of two core programs: the Middle School Indoor Rowing
Program and Row Boston, CRI’s academic support and competitive rowing leadership
program for BPS high school youth.
On Friday, October 21, New Balance and the HOCR will also partner to host a SparkStart
Event at CRI connecting Boston Public School students involved in the “Let’s Row
Boston” program with guest Olympians. NB SparkStart inspires children around the
world to discover their love of movement. Olympians and BPS students will join forces
with the Massachusetts State Police rowing team in an indoor rowing competition at the
Harry Parker Boathouse from 3-4 p.m.
For more information on the “Raise Your Oars” Benefit, or to become a sponsor while
helping more kids discover the sport of rowing, please contact Lib Diamond at
lib.diamond@communityrowing.org.
For more information on New Balance please contact Kate Tetirick at
kate.tetirick@newbalance.com.
Tickets available for purchase on Eventbrite: HERE (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/raiseyour-oars-presented-by-new-balance-to-...
28046458713).
For more information, visit the Head of the Charles Regatta®
at www.hocr.org.
About the Head Of The Charles Regatta
Preparing for the 52nd race, the Head Of The Charles Regatta is the world’s largest twoday
regatta, attracting more than 11,000 rowers and thousands of spectators to the banks
of the Charles River. Racing takes place on Saturday, October 22 and Sunday, October
23, between the hours of 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM. The Regatta attracts youth, collegiate,
masters, para-rowing, international, world champion, and Olympic athletes competing in
62 events. Follow HOCR on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
About Community Rowing, Inc.
Rowing changes lives. At Community Rowing Inc. (CRI) we are dedicated to fostering a
community that is both welcoming and supportive. Under the banner of Rowing for
All we make rowing accessible without regard to individual ability, background or
experience. We seek to raise the standard of rowing programs through internal excellence
and to share our knowledge and expertise with others for the advancement of the sport at
all levels.
About NB Sparkstart
To improve the health, well-being and self-esteem of children through movement.
Through grants, global volunteerism, associate engagement, NB athlete involvement,
product donations, retail events and consumer engagement, NB SparkStart will inspire
children around the world to discover how they love to move.
About New Balance
New Balance, headquartered in Boston, MA has the following mission: Demonstrating
responsible leadership, we build global brands that athletes are proud to wear, associates
are proud to create and communities are proud to host. New Balance is the only major
company to make or assemble more than 4 million pairs of athletic footwear per year in
the USA, which represents a limited portion of our US sales. Where the domestic value is
at least 70%, we label our shoes Made in the USA. New Balance owns five factories in
New England and one in Flimby, U.K. New Balance employs more than 5,000 associates
around the globe, and in 2015 reported worldwide sales of $3.72 billion. To learn more
about New Balance, please visit www.newbalance.com
About USRowing
“We are USRowing, fostering community, cultivating excellence and developing
Olympic Champions.”
USRowing is a nonprofit membership organization recognized by the United States
Olympic Committee as the national governing body for the sport of rowing in the United
States. USRowing selects, trains, and manages the teams that represent the U.S. in
international competition including the world championships, Pan American Games,
Olympic Games, and Paralympic Games. More than 85,000 individuals and 1,300
organizations strong, USRowing serves and promotes the sport on all levels of
competition. USRowing membership reflects the spectrum of American rowers – juniors,
collegians, masters, and those who row for recreation, competition, or fitness. USRowing
receives generous support from the National Rowing Foundation and its corporate
sponsors and partners. For more information, please visit www.usrowing.org.