Another Spectacular Summer Of Free Programs On Your Beach

Since 2008, Save the Harbor/Save the Bay’s Better Beaches Program has shared Boston Harbor, the harbor islands, and our region’s public beaches with the region’s underserved youth, teens and families who pay their share of the $5 billion cost of the Boston Harbor cleanup, but often don’t have the opportunity to enjoy the spectacular natural resources right outside their doors. Every year, the Better Beaches Program funds free events like concerts, beach festivals and more on our region’s public beaches that are free to the public and fun for everyone.

In June, Save the Harbor/Save the Bay awarded more than $55,000 in Better Beaches Program small grants and additional organizational support to 27 organizations in 9 beachfront communities and waterfront neighborhoods. These groups in turn leveraged our funds with $434,492 in cash and in-kind support from local government and businesses and more than 9000 volunteer hours to support 93 free concerts, fitness boot camps, beach festivals, sand raking demonstrations, sand sculpting competitions, and circus performances on our region’s public beaches.

Over the past 8 years, our community partners in Nahant, Lynn, Revere, Winthrop, East Boston, South Boston, Dorchester, Quincy, and Hull have leveraged $683,956 in small grants received from Save the Harbor/Save the Bay with $2,352,557 in cash and in-kind contributions from local government and small businesses for a total investment of $3,036,513 in 484 free events and programs for the region's residents and visitors alike.

Funds for the 2017 Better Beaches Program were raised entirely at Save the Harbor's annual Harpoon Shamrock Splash-- an event where brave beachlovers plunged into the chilly water at the BCYF Curley Community Center on March 5th to raise money for these important free events and programs in their community.

From the International Sand Sculpting Festival in Revere to the Harbor Illumination Festival in Hull and everything in between, these free events and programs were the highlight of the summer. Save the Harbor/Save the Bay’s summer staff of Boston area teens helped staff 23 of these events, providing kids and families with the opportunity to make fish prints and hear stories from the Save the Harbor pirates.

 

These events and programs provide unique opportunities for the public to enjoy the region's fantastic beaches and harbor. Thanks to all of our grant recipients for their hard work in making this one of the best summers yet. You can read more about the Better Beaches Program grants here.

Thanks to our partners at the Department of Conservation and Recreation and our foundation funding partners, The Boston Foundation, the Richard Saltonstall Charitable Foundation, and the Harold Whitworth Pierce Charitable Trust for their support.

Thanks as well to Metropolitan Beaches Commission Co-Chairs Senator Tom McGee and Representative RoseLee Vincent and the legislative and community members of the Commission for all they do for our beaches. 

Thanks as well to corporate sponsors Harpoon Brewery, JetBlue, P&G Gillette, National Grid, Beacon Capital Partners, LLC, Airbrush Unlimited, Inc., Comcast, Google and the hundreds of individual participants and donors to the Harpoon Shamrock Splash, and a special thanks to Syam Buradagunta and the Blue Sky Collaborative, whose fundraising platform has helped make the Better Beaches Program a success since its inception in 2008.

To learn more about the Better Beaches Program visit Save the Harbor/Save the Bay’s blog, Sea, Sand & Sky at www.blog.savetheharbor.org, or follow savetheharbor on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.