Ukrainian youth learn to sail in Port Dover

Jennifer Rodger, through the Facebook page Norfolk Support for Ukrainian Refugees, has been actively supporting new Ukrainian arrivals this summer.

Rodger connected 10 newly arrived Ukrainian youth with the Port Dover Yacht Club sailing school program this week through the sponsorship of AFFA4Kids.

“They (AFFA4Kids) are awesome,” said Rodger.

In total, there were 24 youth involved in this week’s PDYC youth sailing program this week, ages 7-18. The one-week youth programs, which run in July and August, include on-shore games, lessons, and on-the-water sailing on 2-3 person, 12-foot sailing vessels. For more information on the yacht club, visit their website at pdyc.ca.

Bruce Armstrong says AFFA4Kids has been supporting youth going to sailing school for a number of years.

“My grandkids went through sailing school and I love it,” said Armstrong. “I think it’s great to see these Ukrainian kids coming together as a group. They all speak the same language, they’re learning English, and they (PDYC) laid on this extra program and I thought it’s just wonderful. We hope that we can do something like that again… and perhaps increase that initiative next year.”

In 2023, AFFA4Kids, an acronym for active, faith, fellowship, and advocacy, has more than 45 children and teens attending day, overnight or special needs camps through a variety of organizations with activities such as riding horses, gymnastics, and church camps.

“We started this initiative about six years ago to raise money via donations and other means to send kids from our community to camp,” said Armstrong, one of five AFFA4Kids volunteers from St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Port Dover. “We wanted to give them an experience that they otherwise would not be able to have, generally because of finances. And we represent people that need assistance.”

AFFA4Kids supports the Union House in Simcoe through the Haldimand-Norfolk REACH program, as well as Jumpstart. They match donations to a Norfolk County Public Library adopt-a-book program, and they have an educational stencil program.

“These Ukrainian children, we saw a need and we put Party A together with Party B, and things happened.”

Armstrong said AFFA is always looking for donations of gently used furniture which can be sold with proceeds going to their primary initiative of “giving our children and youth from Norfolk and Haldimand counties an opportunity to attend the day, overnight or special needs camp of their choosing .”

If you have any furniture you can offer, or know of kids in need, contact either Jim Cation at [email protected] or Bruce Armstrong at [email protected] .

“We thank the community at large for their donations,” said Armstrong. “People call us and say, ‘We have a gently used bed, or we’re changing our dining room furniture, or we’re downsizing, or we have an estate sale, can you come and get the furniture?’ And we will do that. We re-price it, sell it out of our church hall on St. George Street on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9-2. We also take financial donations.”

People can make financial donations to AFFA4Kids c/o St. Paul’s Anglican Church, 302 St. George St. PO Box 33, Port Dover, ON N0A 1N0. All donors will receive a charitable receipt. For more information email [email protected].

Donations received in 2023 will be mostly used to support youth programs in 2024.

“We try to work one year in advance. We set a budget Dec. 31st for the next year.”

[email protected]