Group allows special needs kids to go sailing

Five special needs kids and their families showed up on Lake Monroe Saturday for the maiden voyage of Heart of Sailing, a foundation that lets cognitively-impaired children experience the joys of sail boating. \nGeorge Saidah, founder and executive director, said Heart of Sailing aims to give kids with disabilities an experience that is different from their everyday lives. \n"Often they don't get a chance to do this sort of thing on their own," he said. \nSaidah said his foundation is the international extension of "Au Coeur Des Voiles," a similar program that was started four years ago in the south of France by a friend of his.\nMichelle Shank brought her son Andrew, 10, who is autistic. She said it was a good experience for the children and a well needed retreat for the parents. \n"It's a great opportunity for these kids, they got to work on their social skills, on their communication skills," Shank said. "And it's nice for the parents because it's free for us. We pay for so many things with special needs kids."\nMichael Muzinich, a 3rd year medical student at IUPUI, brought his daughter Galina, 11. She has a form of Tetrasomy 18, a rare chromosomal disorder. Michael Muzinich said Galina was one of 52 people that had it worldwide. \n"I've met all of them," he said.\nCarla Nixon brought her son Trevor, 15, who required a walker to assist him on board. Andrew, Galina, Trevor, and one of each kid's parents rode with "Captain" Bill Kivett and his wife Deanna on the Kivett family boat. \nKivett's father Don piloted the other craft, a sailboat loaned for the event by Four Winds Resort and Marina. Becky Waldman and son Chase, as well as Bobby Pate and his friend Joe Ruyl rode on board Kivett's boat. \nAfter getting a safe distance into the water and raising the sails to the breeze, the kids were allowed to take turns steering the craft, under the captain's supervision. \nKivett said he enjoyed the experience. \n"It was a great time," he said. "Just the look on the kid's faces was worth it."\nKivett and Saidah knew each other from when they both worked at Powerway, a product development firm where they worked on developing software. Saidah said he had nothing to do with spawning Bill's interest in sailing. \n"He saw a (model) sailboat in my office one day, and he said, 'Hey, you're a sailor? I just bought a boat,'" Saidah said. Saidah has since left Powerway, spending all of his time on the Heart of Sailing Foundation. \n"This is my full time job," he said, adding that the work the foundation requires is more than enough to occupy most of his time. The foundation's Web site, www.heartofsailing.org, provides a glimpse of the ambitions Saidah has for his organization, including regional branches in several other countries and trips up and down the U.S. coasts.\nAfter sailing, families, friends, and volunteers gathered on the docks for lunch and a ceremony where the kids were awarded certificates and medals. More than 50 people attended the post-sailing get-together where Four Winds provided box lunches and everyone got a chance to talk and meet new people.\nShank said she hopes she and Andrew can do this again.\n"When I first heard about this, I thought, that's right up his alley," Shank said. "He has a captain's hat that he wore for like two months straight. His uncle sent it to him." \nAndrew said he wanted to be a captain on his uncle Danny's lake. \nSaidah said that due to the risks associated with sailing, the program is targeted at kids who are not so disabled that they are unable to understand or enjoy the experience of sailing. \n"We want them to be able to appreciate what they are doing," he said. \nSaturday's event signaled the start of the Heart of Sailing regional program of Bloomington.\nOn July 15, Heart of Sailing will launch its Indianapolis Regional program on Geist Reservoir.