On July 2, 2024, twelve children, 2nd – 5th grade, from Georgetown East Elementary School in Annapolis, accompanied by sixteen parents and mentors, spent an amazing day sailing on Pride of Baltimore II, touring Fort McHenry, and painting with Action-Art in the park.
For the last three seasons, thanks to support from the National Park Service and Baltimore National Heritage Area, Pride II has sailed throughout the Chesapeake Bay providing free deck tours and two-hour day sails with a focus on youth and their families.
Participants gain a new appreciation for the benefits of on-water activities, our waterways, and for the contributions to sailing and American history that privateers and sailors have made in the past.
Pride of Baltimore, Inc. believes that extending free programs into communities who have historically felt that on-water recreation is out of reach will keep Maryland’s unique maritime history and culture relevant by providing youth and their families access to the Chesapeake Bay so they can experience it from a fresh angle—on the water.
A major obstacle to reaching these communities is access to transportation. A transportation grant from The Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race made this field trip possible.
As a 58-year resident of Baltimore City and County I never knew that Pride was accessible to average folks. These kinds of uplifting experiences can only happen with adequate funding. Together We Rise, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that runs educational mentoring programs at Annapolis Elementary School and Georgetown East Elementary School, and greatly need partners like Pride of Baltimore, Inc., Baltimore National Heritage Area, and the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race to help us to help our youth to become productive members of the community and active participants in our civil society. – Eric Ashby-Bey Together “We” Rise Founder
This trip was both educational and therapeutic for the parents and children. Even though they live 30 miles from Fort McHenry only one adult from the group had ever been to the Fort and none of the group had ever been sailing. Pride staff met the bus at Fort McHenry’s welcome center and escorted them to the pier for a morning sail on the Potomac River with an amazing view of the Fort from the water. A Pride educator explained the history of Pride II, as well as the port businesses, vessels, and activities they were seeing on the sail. A National Park Service Ranger provided interpretation about the role that Fort McHenry played in the War of 1812.
After the sail the group had lunch in the park, and in the afternoon toured Fort McHenry and participated in an Action-Art program that encourages youth to express their emotions through painting.
The program founder, Eric Ashby-bey reported that the parents and children could not stop talking about being on the water aboard Pride II. They said that they didn’t want to stop sailing because it was so relaxing, and they learned so much about the War of 1812 and the history of privateers from the National Park Service Ranger onboard the ship.
The Together “WE” Rise mentoring program at Annapolis Elementary School is for girls and boys in 2nd through 5th grade. Group mentoring sessions are held after school and offer a 15-module character building curriculum.
In July of 2020, Together WE Rise, Inc. was founded as a 501(C)(3) Nonprofit Public Charity. The inception of the organization and program came through the Founder/Chairman and Program Director, Eric Ashby-Bey. Fueled in part by the dynamic impact of the COVID pandemic, Eric Ashby-Bey was moved to directly address the needs of at-risk youth with an educational mentoring program.
He envisioned “Giving our at-risk youth the paramount knowledge of Self by healing their Souls while supporting their parents so that Together “WE” May Rise.” With the support of staff, parents, philanthropists, volunteers, and supporters this facilitated a year’s worth of character-building experiences with the children of both schools. The structured curriculum, educational exercises, group mentoring sessions, and field trips all help to reinforce the character-building lessons of the mentoring program. These activities also exposed the children to beneficial scholastic and career opportunities for their futures, which may not be as readily available in their habitual environments.
It was eye-opening for me to hear that a handful of kids (and adults) believed that they would drown on the sail, and that the life vests would float them long enough for the sharks to get them. To hear those same people say, “Is it over already? I was just starting to enjoy this! Can we go again?”, at the end of the sail was amazing. – Lori Ferrara, Pride of Baltimore Development Director
