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St. Charles Rowing Club sells holiday cards as fundraiser

St. Charles Rowing Club, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) competitive juniors rowing program for high-school athletes located on the Fox River, is selling holiday cards as the first phase of its capital fundraising campaign.

The goals of the fundraising campaign are to raise infrastructure development funds to enable the club to move to their new location in Fox River Bluff East, including an access road, parking lot, floating dock and boathouse; and to raise equipment funds to purchase three new Resolute Racing 4-person shells, two new 8-person shells, plus oars and hire additional coaching staff. The average price of one new racing shell is approximately $50,000. If the fundraising campaign is a success, the club plans to move into the new location with its new equipment in late 2016.

Five different "Hometown Crew" holiday cards are available for sale, all featuring iconic St. Charles landmarks, such as Hotel Baker, Pottawatomie pedestrian bridge, Pottawatomie paddle wheel boat, the park's historic pavilion, and the Fox River bursting in fall colors. "Hometown Crew" was selected as the theme for the holiday card fundraising campaign as the club was born in St. Charles in 2012 and is managed by local St. Charles residents to promote junior's competitive rowing throughout the Fox Valley community. Visit www.saintcharlesrowing.com to purchase cards online.

The club was established in 2013. In just two years, the club has grown into a nationally-recognized program, recently featured in USRowing (April 2015), recognized by the United States Olympic Committee as the national governing body for the sport of rowing in the U.S.

The club continues its tradition of helping rowers obtain NCAA collegiate rowing scholarships. This year, two seniors have recently accepted scholarship offers: Hailey Borden (Geneva High School) - University of Kansas and Jennifer Schreiber (Hinsdale Central High School) - Temple University. Last year, eight graduating seniors went on to receive collegiate rowing scholarships and/or academic support: Gordon O'Brien (St. Charles North) - Marietta College; Sam Schweizer (St. Charles East) - Milwaukee School of Engineering; Kayla Caldwell (St. Charles East) - Drake University; Jackie Bidlack (St. Charles East) - Georgia Tech University; Maddie Paliganoff (Geneva) - University of Pennsylvania; Andrew Niedbala (Geneva) - U.S. Coast Guard Academy; Sarah "Koop" Konopacki (Batavia) - Drake University; and Alex M. James (Neuqua Valley) - Temple University.

The Fox River Bluff East location at 5N860 Weber Drive, owned by the Kane County Forest Preserve, is a 35-acre property with 720 feet of prime waterfront access, including a bike and pedestrian path which will enable it to host international regattas. The new location will enable the club to serve 16 public high schools within a 15-square-mile radius, with St. Charles North High School directly across the Fox River and St. Charles East High School only four miles away.

Chris Meldrum, club president, stated, "Moving into the new Fox River Bluff East location will allow the club to bring competitive rowing to more high-school athletes, allowing them to achieve a potential they otherwise could not imagine. We are tremendously grateful to the Kane County Forest Preserve, Resolute Racing and the St. Charles Park District for supporting us thus far. Competitive rowing has been around for more than 150 years, but it's just starting to get noticed in the Fox Valley."

The club has several fundraising campaigns planned, including a spring golf outing on May 13, 2016, at Mill Creek Golf Course in Geneva. Companies and individuals interested in donating to the club are encouraged to go to www.saintcharlesrowing.com/growth-plan and pledge online. Boathouse, boat and seat naming rights are available to eligible donors. St. Charles Rowing Club is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and 100 percent of all donated funds will be used to support the club's growth plan. For information, contact Chris Meldrum at (630) 207-8337 or chris@saintcharlesrowing.com.

About St. Charles Rowing Club (SCRC)

St. Charles Rowing Club is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) competitive juniors rowing program for high-school athletes, located in Ferson Creek Park on the Fox River in St. Charles. Founded in 2012, the club promotes the sport of competitive rowing by instilling discipline, teaching team work, attaining physical fitness, practicing good sportsmanship and cultivating excellence. Its mission is to promote the understanding of and appreciation for the sport of rowing within the community, train young men and women in the sport of rowing, provide amateur competitive rowing opportunities, advance high-potential athletes into collegiate rowing careers, grow into a world-class rowing organization, provide adaptive and para-rowing support for people with disabilities and veterans, reward teamwork rather than individualism, and promote lifelong health and wellness. The club is affiliated with USRowing, recognized by the U.S. Olympic Committee as the national governing body for the sport of rowing in the United States, Kane County Forest Preserve District, Resolute Racing, Wounded Warrior Program, Team Red, White & Blue, and Team Rubicon. For more information, please visit www.saintcharlesrowing.com.

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