Spina Bifida Water Sports Picnic was held Saturday, July 17th.

There are always way too many people to thank for their unconditional support. Without the financial support of C & R Medical Supplies & Lift-Aids and their personal involvement none of our free programs would be possible! It was over 100 degrees but the temperature did not dampen the spirits. The huge turnout of children with disabilities and family members enjoyed a full day of water skiing, jet skiing, water float rides, swimming, sailing, kayaking, golf, lawn games hand cycling, and lunch of hamburgers and hot dogs. A huge “Thank You” also goes to Albert Estes/Scottish Rite Hospital, Spina Bifida Board and staff and the large number of Volunteers that endured a long hot day of fun in the sun!

CLICK HERE for more photos of the event.

RISE Adventures Adaptive Water Sports Program is Profiled by 360 West Magazine

Read 360 West Magazine to see the article in the July issue.

Download the extracted pages in PDF format.

REACH Water Sports Picnic, Saturday, June 26, 2010- Recap

TEAM RISE Staff, Sponsors, and Volunteers,

From the bottom of my heart, I truly appreciate each and every one of you for your effort, presenting the REACH Water Sports Picnic. Your heartfelt compassion and unconditional support were truly inspiring. This was one of the best days of RISE Adventures short existence. I have written this many times and it seems so weak but, THANK YOU!! Read the rest of this entry »

Dallas Junior Wheelchair Mavericks Water Sports Picnic presented by RISE Adventures, Saturday, August 7th

Dallas Junior Wheelchair Mavericks Basketball has scheduled Saturday, August 7, 2010, 9:30 am – 2:00 pm for their Water Sports Picnic Presented by RISE Adventures. Contact Michelle Torina for more information at jrwcmavsprep@gmail.com.

Directions to Meadowmere Park Grapevine, TX.  Directions from the east: Go West on Hwy. 114 to Grapevine, Texas. Exit Kimball Road. Turn Right on Kimball Road. Turn Left into Meadowmere Park (approx. 1.7 mi.).
Proceed to Fee Station for further directions.  CLICK HERE for map.

RISE Adventures 2010 Summer Program Schedule.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A PRINTABLE VERSION OF THE RISE SUMMER PROGRAM FLYER Read the rest of this entry »

“Sailing, It’s What I’ve Always Heard it Could Be.”

Now that we have our own boat, the Eziduzit, sailing has been on the RISE!  With the addition of a  Freedom 21’ sailboat, we’ve been able to accommodate many more RISE members.  You can feel safe in this boat with its 500 lb keel below, she can take a lot of wind and be just fine. (Tested this accidently when a storm came in, 50mph winds plus. It was a pucker moment for sure.)   On several days we’ve even taken members out in 20 mph winds and they had a blast.  We are working with the great folks down at Scott’s Landing to get our lift installed.  This will make it much easier to board those who need more than just a hand getting loaded. Also every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday we will be at Lakeview Park to pick up anyone who wants to come along. So if you’re there participating in a kayak, make sure and stay out of the way. If you’re on a jet ski, no need to spray water all over us!   Come sail with us and if you like and take over the tiller for a bit or sheet in the mainsail.    Rick Brauer, RISE Sailing Director.

Click Here to see more photos.

RISE Water Sports Bring Family and Friends Together.

The RISE Adventures Water Sport Program at Grapevine Lake is a great opportunity to get friends and family out of the house and enjoying the outdoors together.  With 4 jet ski’s, several kayaks, a sailboat and a ski boat with adaptive water ski’s all in one place there are plenty of activities for everyone! My wife and son came with me this week and we had a blast!  We  jet skied for two hours and sailed for another hour.  There was no down time unless we wanted it!  We plan to keep going all summer because we had such an amazing experience!

Thanks RISE!!  Spencer Larimore

Rise has kicked off summer with a splash!!  Starting May 4, 2010 through August 31, 2010 every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, 5 pm todusk. RISE combined Water Skiing, Jet Skiing, Kayaking, and Sailing into one activity that takes place at Lake View Park on Lake Grapevine.

Sailing is not limited to those days, we can schedule you on weekends as well.

We are asking that all participants contact me two days in advance for reservations.  This will ensure that we have enough equipment for everyone to enjoy, and ensure that we don’t overbook.

If you have any questions, Contact Annette Brauer abrauer@riseadventures.org or (972) 978-8903.

CLICK HERE to see more RISE Adventures water sport photos.

RISE Sailing by Rick Brauer

Fall is upon us and soon winters ill wind. Four more dates left for this year, if we can catch a break.

Last Sunday was a wash out but hey, we tried!   Hopefully we shall have a few good days, especially those days we want to go sailing.  An eye on weather conditions is something we always must have, so for those who would like to give it a shot, let me know!

Just imagine, a nice sunshiny day, the cool breeze fills the sails. That’s what I’m imagining.  It can happen. We can possibly schedule additional dates.

For more information or to reserve your spot contact Captain Rick Brauer at rbrauer@riseadventures.org.

RISE End of Summer Bash V Smashes Attendance Record!

This year’s attendance more than doubled last years with 918 total persons in attendance; Disabilities 237, Family Members 344, Volunteers  220, and Vendors/Sponsors 117.  Thanks to everyone that attended and supported this year’s event. We would like to ask everyone to send us your stories, pictures, and comments about the event. We are also open to any constructive criticism to make improvements. Send pictures to slarimore@riseadventures.org.  Comments can be made online click here. To view the pictures already posted click here.

Wanted.. to get out of the house!

Been having health issues for the past 3 months.  In and out of hospitals on a couple occasions.  It feels like I missed the summer.  For the first time I felt back to my usual self and went Sailing this past Sunday.   It was great!  The weather was great, the wind was fine, the day started out cool temperature wise.  The winds seemed
to stay between 8 and 10 mph which gets these J24 sailboats racing along.  What a great way to get back into the swing of things.

Oh.. no conflicts with pirates but did see a vessel with a couple skull
and crossbones proudly displayed.

Thanks!  Rick Brauer

Learning the Ropes

Put the main sail on the boom, put up the jib, go to the port, go to the starboard side, point towards the cut, put the rope in the cleat, and tie the halyard down! What on earth does all this mean? For an everyday person, the sailing terminology can seem somewhat confusing, but for Travis, Sunday was a perfect day to refresh his sailing skills. With little wind, it is obvious that sailing a boat will go nowhere and seem pointless, but Travis, a T-12 para has already completed his 4 hr classroom studies, passed the 100 question written test, and completed the 4-hr on water lesson. Since there was little to no wind on Sunday, RISE Sailing was spent not necessarily sailing on the boat, but a morning used for our participant to practice his sailing skills in something he wants to learn and enjoys doing. He worked on rigging the boat, his motor work, driving the boat in and out of the slip and acting as Captain, directing his first mate on what to do. Captain Don assisted Travis as he went through everything, just as he would do if he came out and sailed with a friend. He directed his first mate Andrew and RISE volunteer Jessica on how to help him. By the end of the morning, Travis had it down, and it was smooth sailing- HA! No pun intended!!! Now he just needs to go out and finish his practical work and he’ll be Keelboat certified! Way to go Travis… I mean Captain Travis!

CLICK HERE to see more photos.

Stephanie Bowerman, MS, ABD

Program Director RISE Adventures, Inc.

sbowerman@riseadventures.org

RISE Adventures Sailing on Lake Lewisville

What a great way to begin your Sunday morning, with RISE Sailing.  We all put our sunscreen on, got out the lifejackets, and set sail from Pier 121 at 8am! We were back by 10:30am, just in time before the heat kicked in!  Captain Don brought his son who helped with the sailing and a total of seven were on the boat having a great time! The wind was perfect going out, so we were moving pretty fast! At times it was absolutely peaceful, and relaxing while other times were filled with fun waves and splashing water. Captain Don taught everyone the basics of sailing and Caleb and Jacob were great helpers with pulling the ropes. Everyone moved around the boat sitting in different spots. The favorite spot was the front of the boat, where you could sit and hang your legs off the boat getting splashed from all the waves. Overall everyone had a great time on the boat and we can’t wait until the next time. Check out the pictures of our Sunday morning fun!

We still have many dates this summer for RISE Adventure sailing. Check out the calendar and if you are interested please contact the program director, Stephanie Bowerman, sbowerman@riseadventures.org

CLICK HERE to see more photos of this event.

RISE Sailing – Finally back on the Water!

The weather has been so, unforgettable. I have had to cancel so many sailing dates due to high winds, no winds, rain, sleet, snow, cows, but not for over active pirates! Perhaps I take it too personal, every time I’ve had to call to say we can’t go, it kills me. Finally we were able to go out this past weekend. The winds were fairly constant around 8 mph.

This weekend we spent with Dan Shuman and his wife. Dan hasn’t been on a sailboat for a few years but he picked it right back up. Apparently he has spent time on quite a few sail boats all over the place, defiantly knew what he was doing. The wind died down a bit after an hour. Looking for signs of wind, we watched as another boater was laying on the deck and paddling back towards the dock. Then the wind picked up as the sail filled.

Our thought was, well, when will it get here? We watched the ripples cross the water slowly as it finally reached us. With the sails in a close haul we took off again.

Oh, big thanks to Dan’s wife for bringing muffins!

Volunteers Needed!

Volunteers! We need your support! Click here for details.

To become a TEAM RISE Volunteer, click here.

Thanks in advance for your support in helping us accomplish our mission!

Sailing with Travis Hoerth

Travis is in his early 20′s and is a paraplegic as of 3 years ago.    He enjoys doing many outdoor activates and had not been sailing.  So in a fit of rage he figured ‘What the heck’ and along came Travis!  On the boat we sailed away with a good wind and fair skies.  Captain Don worked with Travis closely to teach him the ropes of sailing.  Travis expressed a keen interest in learning with ‘Matts school’ to receive his ASA certification.

The winds shifted later that afternoon and that called an end to our outing.

Sorry.. no pirates this time.

Major Corporate Update

I founded RISE Adventures, Inc. on March 22, 2007 with the support of Steve Carlson. I am asked a lot of questions from our constituency about the overall status of RISE. As we approach our second birthday I felt it was important to provide a current corporate update. Transparency is important for all non-profit charitable organizations.

Read the rest of this entry »