Waves Of Opportunity
A community fundraiser getting Marin kids on the water.
Friday, September 25 at 6:00 PM @ Charter Dock, Clipper Yacht Harbor
Year Three on the Water
This September marks the third year of Waves of Opportunity — a community fundraiser hosted by Helmut’s Marine Service and the San Rafael Channel Association during the Sausalito Boat Show.
Year Three — this year we’re partnering with the Marin Foster Care Association to take a group of Marin’s foster youth out on the water. Read more about why we chose them below.
HOW IT STARTED
Nadine Urciuoli founded the San Rafael Channel Association with one overdue goal: dredging the San Rafael Channel. The Channel hadn’t been fully dredged since 2002, and two decades of sediment buildup had left boats getting stuck, marinas struggling, and marine businesses relocating out of San Rafael. It was also a public safety issue — the San Rafael Police and Fire Department run bay patrols and search-and-rescue out of the Channel, and the Channel acts as critical flood control for more than 12,000 residents in a FEMA flood zone.
More than 30 groups came together to push for federal and local funding. In 2022, the Channel was finally dredged. A maintenance dredge is scheduled for this year, and the Association continues to advocate for the long-term health of the waterway.
Fighting for the waterfront started to feel incomplete without doing something for the kids who live right next to it — kids in the Canal neighborhood, just blocks from the water, many of whom had never set foot on a boat. Waves of Opportunity grew out of that.
Three Years of Getting Kids on the Water
Year One — we partnered with Canal Alliance and took a group of kids whale watching. Watching them see the Pacific from the deck of a boat, many for the first time, is what made this an annual event.
Year Two — we partnered with ELM (Enriching Lives through Music) to sponsor a charter fishing trip on San Francisco Bay for elementary students from the Canal neighborhood. First time on a boat, first time fishing, for most of them.
Year Three — we’re partnering with the Marin Foster Care Association to bring a group of local foster youth out on the water for a day on San Francisco Bay. For many of the kids, it will be their first time on a boat.
This Year’s Partner: Marin Foster Care Association
Every year we look for a group of kids who live close to the water but rarely get to experience it. This year, that search led us to the Marin Foster Care Association.
MFCA is based right here in San Rafael and has been supporting Marin County’s foster children and the families who care for them since 2003. They’re the county’s primary provider of foster care support — everything from a Community Resource Center stocked with the essentials a child needs to feel at home in a new place, to an Opportunity Fund that pays for the tutoring, lessons, and activities that help a kid feel like a kid again.
What struck us is how much of their work is about normalcy. Every child in foster care has been through some kind of upheaval, and MFCA’s whole approach is to turn that period of crisis into one of stability and healing — not just meeting basic needs, but making sure these kids get the same summer adventures, sports teams, and music lessons their classmates take for granted.
A day on the Bay fits squarely into that mission. For most of the kids coming out with us, it will be their first time on a boat. We can’t think of a better group to share the water with.
If you’d like to support MFCA directly, visit marinfostercare.org
Why Charter Boats
Salmon and crab seasons have been unpredictable for years, and the Bay Area’s charter fleet has taken the hit. These captains know the water better than anyone, and sponsoring charter trips for kids puts money directly into their hands while giving those kids a day they’ll remember. The event is hosted on the charter dock as the show wraps up Friday evening, giving captains a chance to showcase their boats and their work directly to the boating community — fitting for a grassroots gathering of people who care about this industry.
A Note on Donations
The San Rafael Channel Association is a lobbying nonprofit — donations are not tax-deductible, but every dollar goes directly toward the kids’ experience and the charter captains who make it possible.
Join Us
The Channel got dredged. The fight worked. Now the work is keeping it healthy, keeping the waterfront vibrant, and making sure the kids who live alongside it get to experience it. Come for the music and the view. Stay because all of this is worth showing up for.
