Category Archives: Testimonials

New Challenged America Video

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Thank you Chris Carlsten from Nine Towers Audio/Video to volunteer, shoot and produce this video showcasing Challenged America

Challenged America  Sails for 36 Years.   View this exciting video of the Challenged America Story, from how and when it began, to where it is today.  This video introduces you to the founders, disabled veterans, and how they were motivated to expand and advance their own rehabilitation to others with disabilities, kids, adults, veterans and recent Wounded Warriors. See how the entire family can be actively involved with a loved one’s rehabilitation at Challenged America.  From sailing year-round in small, 16-foot, two-person sailboats in San Diego bay, to sailing offshore in ocean-racing yachts.  Discover how contributions by the general public, donation of vessels, and the volunteering effort by hundreds have made Challenged America North America’s premiere adaptive sailing therapeutic program since 1978 … and how you can help, regardless of where you live, to support the work the charitable Challenged America program does, and  join us in the next big adventure of sailors with disabilities racing in the 2013 Transpacific Yacht Race to Hawaii.   Call us today at (619) 523-9318, email Ahoy@ChallengedAmerica.org,

Help us keep the Challenged America program free, click here to make a secure tax deductible donation

Challenged America Participant Testimonial , Thank You Eric

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“I started sailing with Challenged America in November 2011. It was my first time back on the water since my injury on January 27, 2011. When I saw the Martin 16’s and how they are set up, I was excited to know that I would be an active participant rather than a passenger ‘along for the ride’.

“The phrase ‘leave your disabilities at the dock’ could not be more true! When I’m on the water, at the helm of a sailboat, and enjoying all the sights and sounds of San
Diego Bay, I forget about the wheelchair sitting on the dock. I’m always looking forward to my next sail.

“To the generous volunteers and donors who make this all happen, I can’t thank you enough!”

Eric Berkey, Challenged America Participant

On behalf of all the Challenged America volunteers, thank you Eric, that’s why we volunteer

New Testimonial: Karen S.

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I came to sail for the first time ever today!  What an incredible experience!  The feeling of controlling that sailboat was amazing!  I feel like it was some type of peaceful work; the entire experience was peaceful and enjoyable, but I also learned that sailing takes a lot of work and concentration.  I like that!  I had never really thought about which way the wind is blowing:  whether it was on my nose, on my right ear, or over my shoulder.  Learning to analyze this, I was able to maneuver the sailboat without continuous “hints” from my “teacher,” John.

John was one of the most gifted teachers I’ve ever met!  He started by explaining and describing every part of the Martin 16, and then as we moved away from the dock, the descriptions became more vivid.  Although I am totally blind, I felt like I was seeing the seals sun bathing on top of the buoys, the birds surrounding a small fishing boat, waiting for something to eat, or the various types of “traffic” that passed us throughout our short voyage.  I learned how to tack, how to move the boat so that it hit the small waves at a 45-degree angle rather than sideways, and how to pull the sail in when it begins to flap in the wind.  John never stopped teaching during those two hours of sailing, and I could have learned from him all day!

From the moment I arrived, I felt very welcome, and enjoyed meeting so many people, who definitely have a passion for sailing.  Thank you for allowing me to participate in this sailing experience and for providing such a gifted volunteer to assist me.  Thank you for keeping this program going, and now that I know what life-changing experiences occur there, I will definitely recommend that my friends and clients come and join the fun and learn how to sail.  I will also spread your mission and goals around in order to find people who will donate to this wonderful organization, so it can continue to thrive.  I am eager to return and sail again–hopefully with John!  Again, thanks just aren’t enough!

Karen S., Challenged America Participant

Urban’s Corner

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It seems like most people don’t really pay attention to a disease or disability until it strikes them or someone they love. Yet, many who are not (yet) disabled dot suppor and donate to organizations and programs that support the disabled, for various reasons, but fully committing themselves and their resources to a cause tends not to appear the norm . . . until that dreaded illness or injury hits.

Believe me, everyone in the charitable sector appreciates all – and in any amount – that contributors provide, be it resources, talent, assets, time, and/or cash and regardless of their reason behind the gift – whether personal, tax mitigation, emotional, or another self-serving intention. Such gifts are (mostly) welcome and most needed by all trying to do a charitable good in the community and for society.

We’re now at that “Holiday Gift Giving Time” and we’re all getting bombarded with emotionally-driven appeals to support a charity or cause, and you’ll be getting such a message from us at Challenged America and the Disabled Businesspersons Association (DBA) as well. This is the time of year most make donations and gifts; and the time which most charities, like us, do rely on to support the coming months of operations and plan expanded services and programs.

So when you receive our request for financial and other support, along with the flood of other pleas for help, we hope our message hits your heartstrings and you will consider Challenged America and the DBA too.

We also hope you will investigate the organizations, programs and causes you plan to give to, making sure they are really using your generosity to fulfill their mission and serve those they are authorized by the IRS to help … and your generous gift is being spent or allocated where you want it to go.

I recently called a donor and asked why he and his wife decided to make a donation to the DBA? His response was:

“We want to make sure our gift goes for the right purpose, and we do this by first asking how much in salary and benefits the Executive Director, President, CEO and Chairman of the Board make.

“From the response, we can quickly narrow the field of those we will donate to, as it gives us a measurement of where funds are being prioritized and allocated. ”

It’s surprising how many charities don’t directly answer our question, and of those who do, the majority only refer us to their latest tax return, and how to get it online. At the DBA, your response was quick and to the point … and that’s why we sent you our check.”

Thank You,
Urban Miyares
Challenged America, co-founder
Disabled Businesspersons Association, volunteer president

You can guarantee that we will be here for you, or someone you love, when you need us

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In sending out this “call for donations,” I was trying to come up with an emotional story of someone whose life has been impacted or changed because of Challenged America – after all this is what is typically done by other charitable organizations in their fundraising appeal.

Should I talk about …?

* Cricket, a 5 year old girl who was born blind and the exhilarating excitement she – and her family – had in sailing for the first time.

* Maybe Adam, a wounded warrior who came to sail at Challenged America (from Walter Reed Army Medical Center) only weeks after both his legs were blown off, and we wrapped and duct-taped plastic bags around both of his stumps, so that his (still) open wounds would be protected from the salt water spray.

* Then there is Dave, a long-time business owner who supported Challenged America for years; only to one day have a severe stroke leaving him paralyzed, and him coming to Challenged America to be a participant, helping him with his rehabilitation.

* Can’t forget Vern, a long-time sailor who, in his last days of life, and under hospice care, called to fulfill one last wish: To go sailing one more time. And he did, quietly, at Challenged America, just a couple weeks before passing on.

* Or the remarkable story about Todd, a young man with Duchene Muscular dystrophy and a ventilator user, able to move only one finger on one hand an inch or so. He too went sailing at Challenged America, when no one else could accommodate his need to sail a boat independently. Staff and volunteers created an optic fiber steering and sail trim mechanism, allowing him the freedom to sail a Martin 16 sailboat himself; and, built a custom seat and headrest for Todd to sit comfortably and safely, and protect his ventilator while sailing.

So many stories to choose from, each having a different thread of emotion; all seeming unimaginable, unless you were there to witness it first-hand.

But such stories at Challenged America happen almost daily, and sometimes you just need to be at the dock to listen to those who have gone sailing, whether for the first time, a repeat participant, or hearing the stories by the many volunteers who, I often feel, get as much from the Challenged America program as those we are dedicated to serve.

We need your help, especially during this economic time. With more organizations and government agencies cutting back on services to the disabled, grants and other sources of funding more difficult to attract, Challenged America continues to grow in the need for our services. And you, the general public, are the major source of funding, and where more than 97% of all donations go to directly support the program.

It is said the most charitable contributions happen at the 11th Hour at this time of year. With this, I am asking you to consider including Challenged America in your charitable contributions. A tax-deductible gift of $25 or $50 or $100, along with a like amount from others (including those you know), adds up to help us continue serving the disabled. The larger your gift and the more people you know who can also include the Challenged America program in their gift-giving will allow us to continue serving even more kids, adults and veterans with disabilities.

And, if you have a quality vessel or vehicle you are unable to sell (at the price you want), donating your vessel to Challenged America could possibly prove to be financially more advantageous than an outright sale. Need to make sure your donations to Challenged America are on or before Dec. 31 to take advantage of the tax-write-off opportunities in 2010.

Thank you for considering Challenged America and telling your family and friends about the work we do and our need for help. The coming year’s Challenged America program is dependent upon your assistance and generosity, today.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

Urban Miyares, co-founder and (volunteer) president, DBA & Challenged America program.

P.S. And as I have discovered in my own life, “live long enough and you too will be one of us” … and with your support, you can guarantee that we will be here for you, or someone you love, when you need us.