Community

Community

The IGY Community Outreach Project, “Inspire Giving through You” is giving back to our local communities that surround the marinas we operate. Our goal is to get people off the boats and into the communities where we operate to support local charities and nonprofit organizations, then return to the marinas and have a party to celebrate a day of giving back!

IGY Marinas, IGY Anchor Club Sponsors, boat owners, captains and crews will be the driving force behind participation by rolling up their sleeves and pitching in to help contribute at each of the chosen destinations. Let’s make the commitment to inspire others to give back through worldwide efforts.

The initiative has worked with over 50 charities since launching in 2016, hosting two community outreach programs per year in several locations. The initiative encourages marina employees, yacht crew, captains, and yacht owners to get off their yachts and out into the communities they often stay on the outskirts of.

The two 2019 events held in February and June, brought over 700 volunteers from all over the world together to help with programs in 15 different locations, ranging from environmental cleanups to supporting food banks and developing orphanages and schools in need of help. To date over 2,200 volunteers have helped with the programs, with around 50 different charities involved.

The Caribbean outreach programs gained even more importance following the devastation of the 2016 hurricanes which saw many Caribbean islands sustain catastrophic damage – many of which regularly top the list of the best yachting hotspots. The 2018 outreach programs saw volunteers from Yacht Club at Isle de Sol as well as Simpson

Bay Marina in St. Maarten working together to assist in the clean-up of Simpson Bay Lagoon and Beach in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma and Maria. In St. Thomas, IGY Marinas’ initiatives worked with local charities to clean up and repair classrooms which had sustained damage at the Ivanna Eudora Kean High School.

It is essential for the longevity of the yachting industry to be part of these communities, to look after the people and the environment that make it all possible in a fun, locally-driven way. For more information on how to participate contact Inspire Giving through You here.