Cayuga Lake Youth Engagement Fund

Dear Friends:

Discover Cayuga Lake has established the Cayuga Lake Youth Engagement Fund in 2020 to commemorate the vision and generosity of our community around the lake. Your enduring support inspires our ongoing commitment to equitable lake access and meaningful educational opportunities. 

The fund is now a foundation to underwrite our flagship 'Trout in the Classroom' and 'Floating Classroom' education programs, our public access Community Cruises, and our vision to create a truly inclusive community around the lake we all love. Please share this message with a friend, and help us meet our 2021 fundraising goal. Together, we can make the Teal, truly, "A Boat For Everyone!"

During 2020 and 2021, DCL's Youth Engagement Fund allocations were driven out of necessity by COVID considerations. Hands-on learning has always been the cornerstone of our programming, and naturally required a good deal of re-imagining. We are happy, and a little amazed, to say "We've not only made it through the past two years, but we're stronger than ever!".  We created virtual programming elements that will now compliment our revcovering in-person classes. We found new ways to enjoy music and presentations on the lake amongst friends. And we teamed up with allied non-profits to offer free eco-cruises and programs for kids and families in need.

We've come a long way in our fundraising campaign so far and hope to achieve our $40,000 goal by the end of 2021. Generous donations have been made so far by individuals and organizations through our Giving Day campaigns and community outreach efforts. Notably, we've also received scores of donations from people while aboard the Teal. Our Community Access cruises, as well as our Public Eco-Cruises, are inspiring people to pay it forward by giving others a chance to have similar experiences of time on the water, relaxing, learning and being close to nature.

As we wrap up 2021 and begin planning for 2022, the future is looking increasingly bright. Schools have reentered our Trout in the Classroom Program, and dates are already filling up with Floating Classroom requests for the coming season on Cayuga Lake. We want to be ready with new and innovative programs, with well prepared staff and a vessel that is better equipped than ever before!  By helping us meet our 2021 goal of $40,000, you'll help us prepare to offer local students and families an experience that will foster appreciation of our watershed and the important role it plays in our lives.

Your commitment will contribute to:

• A $25,000+ "Community Access" Fund, allocated to support reduced cost programming for children
• Internship experiences for a diverse cohort of High School and College-Aged Youth
• Free or reduced cost, Community Cruises, Cayuga Explorers & Family Eco-Cruises
• Ongoing maintenance work on our wooden hulled vessel, the MV Teal
• New cultural and historical artwork and educational materials on board the Teal

If a monetary donation is not possible, consider offering your time and wisdom. We are looking to our community members (that's you!), to help us keep improving our services and succeed in making the Teal "A Boat For Everyone."

We'll see you on the lake!

Bill Foster, Executive Director ([email protected])