ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Chesapeake Region Accessible Boating (CRAB) is proud to announce its 2023 CRAB “Crew Member of the Year” and “CRAB Skipper of the Year” award winners.
The 2023 Lance Hinrich’s Memorial Skipper of the Year award was presented to Ed Riehl. Ed has been a volunteer for CRAB for four seasons and has logged more than 334 hours of volunteer service in that time. Ed and his wife Sarah often volunteer together, doubling their impact and enthusiasm for CRAB guests! Ed is an experienced sailor whose positive attitude and jovial disposition make every sail with him fun as well as educational.
The 2023 Crew Member of the Year trophy was presented to Joel McCord. Joel is always willing to step in when help is needed; his friendly disposition and kindness towards CRAB guests and fellow volunteers make him a highly valued team member and leader at CRAB.
CRAB also took the opportunity to recognize an additional 57 volunteers, each donating more than 25 hours of service in 2023. “CRAB Volunteers are essential to making CRAB programs work,” said CRAB Chairman Jim Nolan, “And looking around this room, I am reminded just how many folks it takes to meet the needs of our community, thank you to each and every one of you who takes the time to make a difference for people with disabilities on Chesapeake Bay.”
In 2023, CRAB opened the country’s premier adaptive boating center and increased its service to an additional 15 community support organizations, for a total of 38 nonprofits or governmental entities. The new Adaptive Boating Center hosted 84 events, and 60% of guests identified as having a disability. This achievement was made possible thanks to the dedicated support of CRAB’s 166 volunteers, who contributed over 3,825 service hours in 2023.
The impact of CRAB’s programs can only truly be expressed in the words of its partners and guests. Linda Baily of CHOICES, a PG Parks Special Programs Division program, said, “I want to express what I feel the CRAB sailing program offers our participants, who have intellectual disabilities or Autism. Increasing the number of new experiences gives our participants more confidence that they can succeed in other new initiatives. With the engagement with volunteers and the well-thought-out practices of CRAB, success was never in doubt. I greatly appreciate that aspect of your program.”
Chesapeake Region Accessible Boating was founded on the principle that people with disabilities can and should be able to lead fulfilling lives and have equitable access to meaningful, outdoor therapeutic recreation.