ESJ Rowing & ESJ Capital Campaign

Hi ESJ rowing parents,

Happy summer!! Anyone miss rowing yet? During rowing season, I had meant to reach out to you to talk about the Lead the Way Capital Campaign and our rowing program. There were a few comments made about the Capital Campaign and how it doesn't help our rowing program. I wanted to assure you that it does. For any of you who have picked up your kids after practice from the boathouse, you know pulling out onto Atlantic Blvd. is a nightmare. When my kids started driving themselves home from the Boathouse, I would always be worried about the left turn onto Atlantic. One of the improvements to Knight Campus will be a traffic light with a beautiful new entrance. With the added fields and roads, there will also be added security, lights on the campus, and a safer environment for our kids.

The Capital Campaign also affects our Boathouse directly. Our Boathouse was built during the Journey to Greatness Capital Campaign through funds donated by the Walton family and many others. ESJ built us one of the most beautiful boathouses in Florida, purchased a number of shells to help our growing program, and built a beautiful dock. Part of this Capital Campaign will add a catering kitchen which will make our pasta dinners so much easier.

ESJ supported our rowing program this year by fixing the boathouse roof and rebuilding our dock after the storm. The repairs weren't covered under insurance. This summer, the school is going to reconfigure the weight room so that we have more erg space. Now they are asking for our help to complete this $18M capital campaign. Here's what I didn't know about the campaign that I wanted to share. ESJ doesn't need your money today or all at one time. For example, you can pledge $10,000 and pay $2,000 a year for 5 years. You could also pledge $2,000 and pay over a few years. Nothing is too small. They just need to know the money is going to come in. If you can help, please reach out to Missy Ketchum at ketchumm@esj.org or (904) 396-5751, x 1109. Let her know you are a rowing parent. Maybe if we get enough rowing parents contributing, we can place a plaque in the boathouse kitchen with the rowing family donor's names. Just a thought. If you can contribute, please don't wait to contact Missy. The school wants to start construction over the summer and have everything ready for us when the rowing season starts. If you have already contributed, Thank You!!

Have a great summer!!

Kim Sievert

Rowing Parent Coordinator

(904)631-6335