Join Us in 2020 At Yellow Creek

by friendsofyellowcreek@gmail.comNewsPosted on Comments are Disabled

Dear Friends

This year promises to be a great one for Yellow Creek State Park. The season will kick off with a grand re-opening of the Day Use Area celebrating the restoration of the beach, replacement of the bath house, and installation of a new playground. (Time TBD)

Friends of Yellow Creek will be there to lead a volunteer activity activity and we hope you can join us.

As a supporter of FOYC, you know that the park benefits visitors all year long. And of course it needs the support of volunteers and donors in Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall.

Did you know that in 2019, FOYC-affiliated volunteers maintained 20 miles of bike trail and hosted Yellow Creek Monthly races? We sponsored park cleanup activities and built picnic tables. We installed a kayak rack, gave community sailing lessons, and we created a high-school sailing club. All told, volunteers devoted over 500 hours to such projects.

Yet these projects and activities also depend upon funds from membership and donations. Trail clearing equipment was purchased with FOYC donations. Material to replace bridges is purchased with FOYC donations. Our biking and sailing events require insurance.

We have big plans for 2020. A group is exploring how we might create a loop trail around the entire park. The sailing base will expand community learning with two additions to the fleet (donated) and complete a renovation of the sailing base area.

But we need your continued support.

If you were a member in 2019 and plan to continue supporting us, please renew now. Have you been a member in the past but let your membership lapse? Please consider getting back on board! Donations and memberships can be made online or by mailing a check to PO Box 1401, Indiana, PA 15701

For those who are interested in learning to Sail, paddleboarding, or kayaking, please check out our “Get On The Water” campaign which continues through 2020. Finally, reservations are now open for slots in our kayak/canoe rack.

Finally, if you or your business is in the position to make a larger donation — our “Get On The Water” campaign includes some unique ways to recognize and appreciate donors.

Many of you plan to join or renew in 2020. Donations and memberships which arrive early help us make the best plans for park improvments this spring!

Thanks for your support,

Ken Sherwood

On behalf of Friends of Yellow Creek

friendsofyellowcreek@gmail.com

Thanks to The Indiana County Endowment

by friendsofyellowcreek@gmail.comUncategorizedPosted on Comments are Disabled

Friends of Yellow Creek and PPFF would like to recognize the generosity of the Indiana County Endowment. ICE has awarded a $4000 grant in order to help us achieve our Get On the Water goals.

The grant supports access to sailing and kayaking at Yellow Creek by funding improves to the cove, reduction in siltation, regrading, and rebuilding of docks at the launch area.

The Indiana County Endowment (ICE) is proud to support projects of our community organizations that support cultural, ecological, social, educational, recreational and economic needs of our area. We were established in 1990 and our early patrons included Jimmy Stewart and his wife, Gloria. Our assets have grown, but only because of gifts, bequests and donations that are given to the Foundation.

Please see Indiana County Endowment on Facebook or The Pittsburgh Foundation

Please check back in Spring as we document the improvements this grant enables us to make at the park!

Gold Sponsor
bronze

Thanks to InFirst Bank

by friendsofyellowcreek@gmail.comUncategorizedPosted on Comments are Disabled

Thanks to InFirst Bank for coming aboard as our first Get on the Water sponsor for 2019/2020. Their support helps us progress towards our goal of augmenting outdoor recreation opportunities at the Community Sailing base. We  provides an economical means for visitors to learn to sail and paddle through free instruction and access to boats and safety equipment.

Sailing and Paddling provide physical and mental wellness benefits. They promote fitness and agility, teach discipline and communication, encourage relaxation, and improve concentration.

bronze
Bronze Level Sponsor

Support

by friendsofyellowcreek@gmail.comAdminPosted on Comments are Disabled

Thank you for your interest in supporting the work of FOYC. We are a volunteer organization and receive no state money. Our projects, activities, and park enhancements are funded by memberships, generous donations, and occasional small grants.

Quick links: general membership and donations | sail/kayak/sup membership

Become a Member

donate

You can help FOYC do its work by becoming an annual member for as little as $15.  By joining, you show FOYC and the state park system that you support and value your park.  With loyal members, we can plan for long-term projects. In addition, your membership allows us to better contact you about projects, programs, and volunteer opportunities.

General Membership Levels:

Individual $15
Family $20
Community Sailing $140
Kayak/Canoe Rack $140
(Sailing and Rack, combo $175)
Other

Sailing Base

FOYC members have the opportunity to access the YC Sailing Base. Volunteers have made improvements to the facility, and Sailing Base members can access FOYC sailboats and paddleboards.  Sailing classes for beginners and orientations for experienced sailors will be held in the spring. We also hope to add several canoes to our fleet for 2015.  FOYC members have donated volunteer hours and funds to help rehabilitate this facility.  Sailing base users contribute a $140 donation to support the continued improvement in this facility and to offset insurance costs.

Kayak Rack

FOYC also oversees a kayak storage rack at the sailing base. There are 12 slots, available to friends; we ask a $140 donation for annual reservation of a slot (April 15-October 31). In order to fairly meet demand, we limit any family to one slot. Please contact FriendsOfYellowCreek@gmail.com for more information. Kayaks are stored at the owners’ risk; we encourage you to use a cable to lock them to the rack.

(More on sailing at Yellow Creek)

Join / Donate Here

Our parent organization, PPFF, assists us in accepting memberships from those who would like to join online.

To join or make a donation via Visa/Mastercard, click here:

  1. general membership and donations
  2. sail/kayak/sup membership

Visa-Mastercard-Logo

 

If you would prefer to mail a donation, please make checks payable to PA Parks and Forests Foundation.

 

 

 

 

 

Alternatively, you may choose to mail your check to:

FOYC Treasurer
P.O. Box 1401
Indiana, PA 15701

Please include your name, address, phone number and email so that we can add you to our membership database.

Friends of Yellow Creek is a chapter of Pennsylvania Parks and Forests, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization – contributions to which are deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law.

Update:Need a Tax Break – Got a Sailboat?

by friendsofyellowcreek@gmail.comUncategorizedPosted on Comments are Disabled

UPDATE: we will be able to offer group sailing on two donated Flying Scots this coming season. Thank you to generous donors  Nancy Yaskanich and the Sailing Club of Washington. 

March, we’ll be looking for volunteers for cleaning and minor refitting.  

We are still looking for one Alcort Sunfish. 

The FOYC community sailing program is one of the ways our Friends group contributes to the enjoyment of the park — teaching beginners the rudiments of sailing and providing economical access to sailing for all.

Our fleet consists entirely of donated sailboats, repaired and maintained by volunteers.

We are presently seeking two boats to enhance the program:

1) Flying Scot
This would be used as a “teaching platform” since it can be sailed with anywhere from 2 to 8 people.

2) Sunfish
This is the ideal, one sail for one sailor boat. Great for beginners and experts alike.

If you have access to one of these boats or know of one that might be donated, please let us know at FriendsOfYellowCreek@gmail.com

We have only a modest budget, so we can only accept “complete” boats; but we are happy to clean and have the capacity to make modest repairs and upgrades.

The Friends of Yellow Creek is a Chapter of the Pennsylvania Parks & Forests Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization—contributions to which are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law. The official registration of the Pennsylvania Parks & Forests Foundation may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll free within Pennsylvania 1-800-732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement.

High School Outreach

by friendsofyellowcreek@gmail.comsailingPosted on Comments are Disabled

Indiana Area High School students enjoyed a nice breeze for their first experience sailing at Yellow Creek this Sunday. The sailors are part of a new club which gives the students the chance to learn about and then practice sailing.

IHS student Will Ferguson takes the helm of a Hunter 170 sailboat.

Club advisors are FOYC volunteers Nathanael Arthurs and Beth Rettig. The two are experienced sailors who will introduce sailing “theory” at IHS during club days. Then everyone gets to test their skills on the water at Yellow Creek.

Currently Friends of Yellow Creek gives access to adult and community sailors through the Community Sailing Base. FOYC also hosts the IUP sailing club. FOYC co-chair Ken Sherwood oversees sailing instruction with the various groups.