Shake A Leg Miami’s We Can Sail is a program where children with disabilities are invited to experience the wonder of Biscayne Bay and take part in water activities like sailing, kayaking, fishing, and powerboat rides. The program collaborates with high school students who are looking to volunteer in their community, and they act as mentors for the children who participate in this program. Each child is paired up with a mentor and they spend the day together out on the water. The program is held every Saturday of the week throughout the school year from 10 am to 2 pm.

This program has created genuine connections between the campers, mentors, and staff members and has been a safe space with inclusion as its top priority. One of our returning mentors, Sebastian Castro, commented “I’ve had an amazing time volunteering, and it’s been very cool to connect with one of the campers, Spencer, over our shared interests in dinosaurs. We always compare which ones are our favorites”, Spencer and Sebastian have been able to forge this friendship that is shown true when they accompany each other on our weekly fishing trips.

We have had the privilege of witnessing our campers grow up and become mentors themselves and come full circle in giving back to their community. One of our mentors this year for our We Can Sail program is Katrina Braden. Katrina has been attending Shake A Leg throughout the school year and during summer since she was a young girl. This year is her first year taking on the responsibility of becoming a mentor, “I am very excited that I’m able to be a mentor this year and be able to take on this responsibility of caring for the campers, the same way I was”. In this community, we are always looking for people like Katrina, who make a difference and want to continue this legacy by volunteering themselves and giving back.

If you’d like to get involved, as a participant of the program or to volunteer please reach out to alyssa@shakealegmiami.org with any inquiry you may have regarding our program. We look forward to hearing from you and becoming a part of the Shake A Leg family.

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