SailMiraclesSt
Sailing World and Sperry Top-Sider to Benefit Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago
Middletown, R.I. (June 12, 2007) – Sailing World and Sperry Top-Sider have announced that the Children’s Memorial Hospital, based in Chicago, Ill., will be the recipient of the Sailing for Miracles program during the Chicago stop of the Sperry Top-Sider National Offshore One Design (N.O.O.D.) Regatta, scheduled for June 15-17 at host Chicago Yacht Club. Participants in the regatta will have the opportunity to support Sailing for Miracles, an organization created to raise awareness within the sport of sailing and to encourage giving back to the local community, through donations and fund-raising efforts at the event.
“The partnership with Children’s Memorial Hospital will be our third such collaboration,” said Karen Pitts, Vice President of Marketing at Sperry Top-Sider. “Sailing for Miracles and sailors at the Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regattas have raised funds for All Children’s Hospital, a leading center for pediatric treatment, education and research, during the St. Petersburg regatta; and for the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, based in Baltimore, Md., during the Annapolis regatta.”
All NOOD sailors who make a donation of $50 or more will be given an exclusively designed Sailing for Miracles burgee, donated by Sperry Top-Sider and Sailing World. Boats flying the burgees during the event will be eligible to be randomly chosen as the “Sperry Top-Sider Boat of the Day.” One boat will be selected each of the three race days for this honor, and all the members of that boat’s crew will win a free pair of Sperry Top-Sider footwear.
“For nearly 125 years, Children’s Memorial has relied on the support of donors and volunteers to help ensure that critically ill and injured children have access to the highest quality care,” said Tara Noronha, Senior Development Officer at Children’s Memorial Hospital. “The generosity of participants in events such as the Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regatta enables us to treat each of the thousands of children who walk through our doors every year.”
As one of the original NOOD venues, the Chicago NOOD has continually attracted a strong fleet of sailors. “In 2006, 228 teams – or over 3,000 sailors – competed in the Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regatta at the Chicago Yacht Club,” said George Brengle, executive director of the NOOD Regattas and director of marketing for Sailing World. “We’re already on-track to register as many teams this year, and we encourage everyone who participates to give back to the community through Sailing for Miracles.”
The 2007 Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regattas will sail next into Toronto, Ontario, Canada, June 25-27. Additional venues for 2007 include Annapolis, Md., Boston, Mass.; Detroit, Mich.; Houston, Texas; Larchmont, N.Y.; San Diego, Calif.; and St. Petersburg, Fla.
Created by Sailing World in 1988, the NOODs attract close to 2,000 boats and more than 30,000 competitors and spectators annually. Each event in the series features three days of sailboat racing for one-design models from 20 to 70 feet in length. In addition to local sailors, sailing’s top stars – including America’s Cup and Olympic champions – are well-represented at the NOODs. Competitive sailors rate the NOODs as the top national event in each region of the country.
Sperry Top-Sider is the national title sponsor of the Chicago, Ill. N.O.O.D. which is presented by Sailing World and Mount Gay Rum. Support sponsors who will join the event include Corum Swiss Timepieces, Gill, Sunsail, North Sails, Budweiser Select and Active Network.
For more information on the 2007 Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regattas go to www.sailingworld.com
**About Sperry Top-Sider
**Since 1935, Sperry Top-Sider has been the leading brand of footwear for those who love the water. From its introduction of the world’s first siped rubber outsole for non-marking traction, to advanced technical fabrication to combat the elements, Sperry Top-Sider remains the vanguard of high-performance amphibious footwear and apparel. Available around the globe in fine independent, marine, outdoor and department stores, Sperry Top-Sider is the official footwear of US SAILING, and is also worn by members of the U.S. Naval Academy and the Navy SEALs. Based in historic Lexington, Massachusetts, Sperry Top-Sider supports a wide-range of water-related activities through its many sponsorships, including ACURA Key West 2007, the Adopt-A-Billfish Foundation, National Safe Boating Council, Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regattas and countless others. Sperry Top-Sider is a division of the Stride Rite Corporation (NYSE:SRR). For more information, please visit www.sperrytopsider.com.
About Children’s Memorial Hospital
Children’s Memorial Hospital, in Chicago, is recognized as one of the top pediatric hospitals in the country by rankings published in U.S. News & World Report. Its physicians are on the faculty at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. As a not-for-profit organization, Children’s Memorial relies on philanthropy to help provide care to more than 103,000 patients and their families every year. www.childrensmemorial.org
To make a donation to the Children’s Memorial Hospital and receive a Sailing for Miracles burgee, look for the specially marked table at registration on June 21st and during the nightly Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Parties on June 15-17th, 2007 at the Chicago Yacht Club, Monroe Station.
