July 2006 |
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Excalibur situation nearly shipshape Business First of Buffalo - July 14, 2006 Business First James Catalano is waiting for his ship to come in. And when it does, his Excalibur Leisure Skills Center Inc. will be seafaring once more, hosting cruises and fishing trips for disabled and disadvantaged Western New Yorkers. It has been a little more than a year since the nonprofit organization has sailed, and Executive Director Catalano professes to be "climbing the walls" waiting for the new vessel. "We have 2,000 people waiting," he says. The organization sat out last year's boating season, using the time to raise $210,000 for a replacement for the boat that was retired in 2004 after 17 years of service. He hears from Island Hopper International Boat Works Inc. of DeLeon, Fla., that the 30-foot, wheelchair-accessible vessel with a capacity of two dozen is about 80 percent complete and should be delivered later this month. It will be the organization's first built-to-specs boat since opening in 1985. Excalibur launches primarily from the Buffalo Harbor State Park and Marina, operating two-hour cruises seven days a week from 10 a.m. to dusk. More than 50,000 people associated with human services agencies throughout Western New York have come aboard during Excalibur's 26 years. The organization operates with 150 volunteers, including 25 captains, and is supported by public money, private foundations and community donations. The human services agency People Inc. and Excalibur are working on a joint proposal to the state for funding that would allow the boating organization to hire paid staff. |
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