5 Years of Impact at Chicago Community Sculling

Chicago Community Sculling

February 2025 Newsletter

2025 IMPACT UPDATE

2025 was an impactful year for Chicago Community Sculling and we can’t wait to build upon that success in 2026. We’d like to thank our dedicated coaches, board of directors, school leadership, parents/guardians, donors, community supporters, and especially our wonderfully committed student rowers.

Some of our highlights include:

CCS supported 25 student rowers across the year
CCS held 50+ indoor and outdoor rowing sessions
CCS competed in 3 regattas including the TIRO Cup (Chicago), Tough Cup (Chicago), and the Cup of Joe in (Buchanan, Michigan)
CCS medaled in two regattas. In the Tough Cup we took 2nd in mixed 4x and at the Cup of Joe, we took 3rd in mixed 2x's
CCS hosted two Summer Rowing Camps (June & July) in Buchanan, Michigan
CCS hosted a Leadership Camp in May for ALL 8th Grade Students of Altus Academy
CCS received a grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources which assisted us in hiring of our first Executive Director

Chicago Community Sculling’s 5 Year Growth

CCS humbly began its programming in 2020 with 4 students and we’ve had an amazing growth rate through 2025. What started with a simple water season has grown to year round rowing programming including a mentoring program, multiple field trips throughout the year, travel, regatta participation, Summer rowing camps and more. Here a few statistics worth sharing as we continue our growth mission into 2026

Starting the 2026 Season With 10 personal Bests

The 2025 South Side Smack Down (SSSD) / TIRO Cup was held on Saturday, February 7th at Gage Park and CCS had a record number of students participating from Altus Academy. We also had Coach Terra Levin, Board President, Fran Tuite, and Executive Director, Colleen Egan competing .

It was a great day for the students with 10 personal bests, ranking them high at TIRO and nationally. We had a 3rd place finish in the U15 Boys 500m, a 1st place finish in the U15 Girls 2000m Relay, and a 2nd place finish in the U15 Boys 2000m Relay. Both of our coaches medaled as well taking 1st and 3rd in their respective 500m races.

Congratulations to everyone for all of their hard work!

A Note From Our Executive Director

It’s been a wonderful 4 months at Chicago Community Sculling and I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for their support. We’ve been busy prepping for the 2026 Season, diversifying our funding, amplifying our mission, expanding our board, and accelerating our search for a permanent home.

We all know that every non profit depends on its community of supporters and in these busy days we could use any assistance you are willing to give.

Ways to help:

Volunteer
Financially support
Introduce CCS to your company (matching funds, sponsorships, volunteer opportunities, events)
Introduce us to rowing coaches or other rowing supporters
Send us opportunities for partnerships, grants, equipment, and boathouse leads.
We are here for all of it!

Donate to CCS

Our big plans are only possible because of the generosity of our donors, who know what an impact rowing can make on the lives of young people. Please consider helping us fund coaching, equipment, transportation, race fees, and additional training opportunities through a tax deductible donation.

DONATE ONLINE

Checks can also be made payable to Chicago Community Sculling, Inc. and mailed to:

Chicago Community Sculling, Inc.

237 W. Menomonee

Chicago, IL 60614