Water Season is Well Underway

Chicago Community Sculling

June 2026 Newsletter

It’s hard to believe that our 2026 water season is well underway after a busy Winter of training and competing. We have been extremely busy working on new grants, new partnerships, and expanding our board to fulfill our mission. We’d like to thank our board, coaches, volunteers, and community for their unwavering support as we continue to serve our young rowers with life-changing experiences.

In Honor of Juneteenth

The Concept2 Juneteenth Challenge is back again in 2026. It’s a one-day virtual event on June 19 that coincides with Juneteenth, the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in 1865 in the United States. We invite you to participate in the seventh annual Juneteenth Challenge and do a small part to celebrate African American freedoms and achievements.

Here’s how the challenge works: Concept2 pledges to donate $19,000, plus an additional $2 for every person who completes at least 1900 meters on the Concept2 RowErg, SkiErg or BikeErg (3800 meters on the BikeErg), up to a maximum total of $38,000. In 2025, they raised over $28,000, with over 4500 signing up for the challenge.

Learn More

Our Biggest Thanks to Terra Levin

Terra Levin is a legend. She’s a respected master rowing coach with over 40 years of sculling and sweep rowing experience in the Chicago area. She’s been an assistant coach for the Northwestern University Crew, past commodore of the Lincoln Park Boat Club, and a sculler for the Dammrich Rowing Association.

Terra has been coaching at CCS since our organization began. Over the years she has mentored countless young rowers and carefully guided them on their development and journeys both on and off the water. Terra is retiring and taking a well-deserved break… for now, but we know she’ll be there when we need her most. She has always been there for the kids and for CCS, and we are deeply grateful for her expertise, her upbeat spirit, and her steadfast dedication to the lives of our rowers. Terra has been the heart of our organization, and we will miss seeing her at the boathouse every week. With so much LOVE and ADMIRATION - Thank you Terra!

CCS Welcomes New Board Members

NORI WELLES-GERTZ

Nori began her rowing career in high school at Deerfield Academy, quickly falling in love with the sport and its emphasis on teamwork, hard work, and discipline. She sculled for Boston Rowing Club and Charles River Scullers during the summers and went on to row for Harvard-Radcliffe Women’s Heavyweight Crew at Harvard University. While in college, Nori also spent summers coaching high school girls at Charles River Scullers. Her years on the Connecticut River and the Charles River shaped her appreciation for the formative lessons offered by rowing and the role strong programs play in developing athletes on and off the water. Nori is now a Principal at ParkerGale Capital, a B2B technology-focused Private Equity firm in Chicago.

SAM WHELAN

Sam has been a life-long rower as well as a university researcher and school leadership scholar. He holds a BA in American History from Princeton University, and an MA in Divinity and PhD in Education from the University of Chicago. Since 2003 he has been a social scientist and evaluator at the University of Illinois Chicago specializing in the study of school improvement and leadership. He currently is the Research Director for the Center for Urban Education Leadership within the UIC College of Education. A native of Philadelphia, he began his rowing adventure at St. Joseph’s Preparatory School and spent his teenage summers on Boat House Row, eventually representing the United States at the Junior World Championships in 1975 (Montreal, CN). He then joined the Men’s Heavyweight team at Princeton, winning an IRA championship in June 1977 and the Head of the Charles in the Championship Eight event in 1979, and serving as team captain in 1980. His coaching experience includes advising the UIC Rowing Club from 2015 through 2018. He and his wife have lived in Forest Park, Illinois since 2003 where they raised three children. Sam cannot overstate the impact that his coaches and exposure to rowing had on his successes and outlook on life. He is very excited to join the CCS Board and advance its commitment to helping Chicago students thrive through rowing.

ERIC C. LITTLE

Eric is the Founder and CEO of WCCC and the Executive Consultant and CEO of E2 Performance Group a veteran owned consulting firm that specializes in the optimization of organizational and individual performance. He specializes in nonprofit leadership, Christian ministry, organizational behavior, project/program management and design, and mental resilience. His passion for human services was birthed while serving in the United States Army, training young men and women to become leaders. Since 2016 (after being honorably and medically retired due to injuries sustained during combat deployments), he has devoted his life to the field of human services, serving those who need it the most. He served as a residential counseling manager and social development director for the Department of Labor’s Job Corps program which serves socioeconomically disadvantaged youth (ages 16-24). He has also served as a program director for nonprofits that specialize in workforce development and has won federal contracts with the Department of Defense to provide spiritual care and services to the recruits and sailors stationed at Great Lakes Naval Station. His leadership has helped several nonprofit organizations get awarded (and re- awarded) amounts of over $5million dollars of federal DOL- ETA/WIOA funding. By equipping them with the knowledge and leadership necessary to succeed, he has helped them achieve a perfect score in both programmatic and fiscal audits. Eric has certifications as a mental resilience trainer and a project manager. He is both a graduate and current student at Liberty University where he obtained his B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies: Business, Life Coaching, and Social Science cognates. He also holds a M.A. in Pastoral Counseling: Leadership and a M.A. in Human Services Counseling: Executive Leadership. He is currently pursuing his Doctor of Education in Community Care and Counseling: Traumatology to better serve the community and “care for the caretakers and counsel the counselors.

Wins, Partnerships & Other News

Big thanks to Concept 2 for their continued support of CCS. This year our grant award included a new training bike and sliders so that students could successfully train indoors.

This year, Chicago Community Sculling partnered with Foss Swim School and Outdoor Afro to support our young rowers with swim lessons and certification. Foss Swim School teaches students to love water—not just to swim. Their proven Swim Path™ curriculum, highly-trained teachers and pools designed for learning can help any student reach their goal of graduating as a strong, well-rounded swimmer.

Through Foss, we were introduced to Outdoor Afro and received 20 grants to support 20 students in their swimming journey. Swimming is a life-saving and nature-embracing skill. Outdoor Afro created Making Waves in 2019 because research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention consistently showed that Black children ages 10 to 14 drown in swimming pools at a rate more than 8 times that of white peers, and 63% of Black adults have never had swim lessons. CSS is so grateful for their support and our new partnership

Half Marathon Champions for CSS

Congratulations to the runners who completed the 2026 Bank of America Chicago 13.1 Half Marathon and supported Chicago Community Sculling!

Their commitment and fundraising efforts help us continue our mission of making rowing more accessible, inclusive, and community-focused throughout Chicago.

We thank them for their dedication, enthusiasm, and support of Chicago Community Sculling.

As of today, their donations have brought in more than $7K and counting. Thanks again to:

Annette Sroka, Maura Groom, Matthew Krzemienski, Bobby Murphy Wikelski, Raleigh Guerrero, Jonathan Broad, Elliot Lamie, Kevin Medrano, Michael Knowles, Andy Gush, and Olivia Paleksic.

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