Steamer Virginia V Foundation Programs
We are increasingly emphasizing historic educational trips and some very creative dockside events. These programs utilize the Virginia V to promote the awareness and understanding of the maritime history of western Washington State. Exhibited on board are various displays explaining the operation of the steam engine and history of the vessel and her sisters and their importance to the area's history. Our volunteers come from diverse backgrounds though heavily weighted to people from or with interest in the maritime community. Our core operating staff is made up largely of people from the maritime professions, many retired.
The Foundation has broadened our activities by emphasizing community partnerships and events, and diversifying our activities beyond charters and expanding educational activities. In the past eighteen months the Foundation has donated $50,000.+ of in kind access in the form of cruises, dockside events and educational events. The reach of our community service extends out to over 40 groups in education, health, wellness, parks, arts, law enforcement, the maritime community and the general public.
A new involvement is in a marine training program for inner city youth.
Since 1975 the ship has partnered with: Tall Ships, Olympia Harbor Days, Kitsap Harbor Days, Northwest Seaport, Center for Wooden Boats, NW Maritime Center and Wooden Boat Foundation, Sea fair Special Peoples Cruises and others. In addition, we run public cruises during Opening Day, Blue Angels, Christmas Ship Parade , the Tugboat Races and other events. We anticipate a possible educational involvement with MOHAI as they move into the South Lake Union Park. Berthed at the park's historic ships wharf we are a prime attraction. The vessel is also available to charter for social and corporate events.
Recent Successes and Current Challenges
Maintaining, operating and presenting to the public an eighty-seven year old, wooden, steam powered, vessel, that has outlived all except two of hundreds of her contemporaries - normal life expectancy 30 years. The only other wooden steam powered vessel in service in the US is the much smaller Sabino, supported and run by Mystic Seaport, one of the country's most established and finest maritime museums. We do it independently. We're not part of a larger institution; as Seattle has no maritime museum, which makes our efforts both difficult and important.
The Foundation faces several challenges in the next two years. Like all non-profits, the recent financial downturn has severely impacted revenue, and recovering from this will continue to be a struggle over the next several years. Our income has also been dramatically affected not only by current economic times but also by the inclement weather last holiday season, which meant that we lost nearly all of our December 2008 charter income. In January of 2011 the Foundation will need to conduct a very expensive maintenance haul-out in that will be the focus of much of our fundraising. Because of all these factors, we are facing some very tough decisions about what we will be able to offer to the community. The establishment of the new Lake Union Park and the relocation of MOHAI there will undoubtedly be a boon to the Foundation, however the construction phase offers significant challenges to the Foundation as public access to Virginia V will be severely limited. The Foundation will also need to permanently relocate our business office to another location to accommodate MOHAI's relocation. To mitigate all these issues the Foundation will continue to strengthen it's Board of Trustees with members from a broader spectrum of the community. The Board is also developing and implementing a regimen of improved fiscal controls as well as strengthening Foundation policies and procedures. Improvements to interpretive and educational programs will also continue over the next two years.