Outreach Programs

During 2022-2023, associated with the normal nexus of our club activities, the TYC promoted Puget Sound maritime activities through our Junior Sailing Program, Tacoma Boat Builders, Lighted Boat Parade, the Daffodil Marine Festival, and the Sea Scouts Program.  Each of these programs supports our main mission of encouraging the sport of yachting and seamanship.

The Junior Sailing Program serves more than 600 students annually, 98% of which are open public enrollment from throughout the South Puget Sound Region Located at our Gig Harbor facility, the Junior Sailing program provides first-class sailing skills and sportsmanship to 6-18 year olds.  The TYC provides over $80,000 in needs-based scholarships to our Junior Sailing Program each year. 

The TYC also works hand and hand with the Tacoma Boat Builders to create transformational opportunities for marginalized and underserved youth in the Greater Tacoma region.  The Tacoma Boat Builders continues the tradition of teaching woodworking and traditional boat building skills.  The TYC is proud to be an annual donor to this program. 

Each year the TYC highlights our members’ vessels and provides community participation during our Christmas season Lighted Boat Parade.  This boat parade, originating from our TYC basin, proceeds down the waterfront to the Foss Waterway, providing a festive activity for families in the local area.  This activity highlights our presence to the community.
 
The highlight of our maritime outreach each year is the TYC Daffodil Marine Festival.  This annual event is an all-hands-on-deck event for the TYC.  Open to the public for 82 years, the TYC opens its doors for an entire weekend.  Hosting more than 100 visiting vessels and recreational vehicles, the TYC provides live entertainment, special events, discounted foods and drinks and caps the weekend off with a spectacular Daffodil parade down the Tacoma waterfront.  This event is widely covered by the local media and provides a welcoming and fun activity for the region as well as spectacular finale to the annual Pierce County Daffodil Festival.
 
The Tacoma Sea Scouts is the primary partner with the Youth Marine Foundation; encouraging maritime careers and youth engagement.  In addition to members who individually volunteer time to this important maritime program, the TYC is proud to make contributions that support this program.  In the last year, the TYC provided funding for a new galley and wheelhouse navigation system for the M/V Doolin Rogers, the Sea Scout training vessel.

Another key component of our outreach program is supporting our local military and first responders.  We are grateful to have many of our members and staff with active and past ties to the military and first responder communities.  Strengthening those bonds and demonstrating our commitment to the robust relationship the local community shares with these groups is key to our core value of being a responsible neighbor.  In addition to our direct membership ties and hosting of a Tacoma Fire Department (TFD) vessel in the basin we contributed to the Anderson Island Firefighter Foundation, provided access for TFD pre-fire training, and hosted our annual “Ranger Regatta”.
 
In our last fiscal year, the TYC provided an annual donation to the Anderson Island Firefighter Association.  The association is dedicated to promoting social welfare through the support of Anderson Island Fire/Rescue.
 
Our robust relationship with the TFD is reinforced with engagement throughout the year.  In addition to providing free moorage for additional fire vessels, when needed, the TYC hosted “Pre-Fire” training in 2023.  This onsite training provided clubhouse and dock access to more than forty TFD firefighters, giving them insight to the unique challenges of responding to our incidents at our facility.  This training will prove symbiotic should a future incident require a response from the TFD.
 
Each year the TYC hosts several Ranger Regattas.  These cruising events provide an all-expenses paid opportunity for selected ranger companies and their families from Joint Base Lewis-McCord to share a day on the water with our members.  The cruise event provides for dockside social hours, cruise to our Oro Bay outstation on Anderson Island and time on the water for rangers and their families.  For many of these service members and their families it is their first time on a yacht and a great opportunity for them to see the beauty of our local area.  We are proud to provide this ongoing activity to our young heroes.

The TYC maintains an energetic program of community support and volunteerism.  Our club leadership actively promotes member volunteerism dedicated to advancing our core values.  In the last year, the TYC participated in the Adopt-a-Road program, the HopeSparks program, the Pierce County “Spring Fling”, the Santa Project, Tacoma Schools Gift Cards and the Daffodil princess Dinner and Scholarship.
 
As part of our desire to promote environmental stewardship and local responsibility, each quarter TYC members volunteer to clean a mile of Pearl Street in Tacoma.  This activity is a visible demonstration by our members of their enthusiasm for keeping Tacoma and the local area clean and beautified.
 
Our members annually collect and generously donate to the local HopeSparks program.  HopeSparks provides behavioral health, family services, and basic needs to children and families in Tacoma and Pierce County.  Through our TYC donations each year, we contribute as Hopesparks helps thousands of children and families with critical and life-changing support.
 
Annually, the TYC collects and donates to the local Santa Project.  Our goal each year is to provide funding so that 25 families can have a meaningful and joyous holiday season.  The Santa Project provides a holiday meal, gifts for children and gift cards to each family.  Last year, our $14000 donation impacted 44 adults, 73 children and seven single parents in the local area.
 
Our TYC-sponsored Tacoma Schools gift cards provided over 60 gift cards to families in crisis last year.  Through member donations, these cards directly support families in need in our local area, providing funds for much-needed school supplies and clothing.  The TYC works directly with local school counselors to identify the students most in need of our donations.
 
One of the highlights of our community volunteerism and support is our annual Spring Fling.  The Spring Fling brings together the TYC and the Pierce County Specialized Recreation Organization as we provide a wonderful event for teens and young adults with disabilities.  Each year, local teens and young adults enjoy a magical afternoon of dancing, food and drinks in our TYC ballroom donated by the members. TYC members contribute their time to this special event, and we look forward to continuing this program into the future.
 
In conjunction with our annual Daffodil festival activities, the TYC hosts a Daffodil Princess dinner for the Daffodil Princess Court, families, and Daffodil Committee members.  Our facilities and meals are provided to the court, and member donations provide a scholarship to “Miss Congeniality”.  This dinner provides a great opportunity for local high school youth to experience our facilities.