James McIlhenny Seaport Center Photo Contributed
To the Editor:
Tucked away in Robinson Terminal Warehouse, where they have been building boats and changing lives, the Alexandria Seaport Foundation has been part of lower Duke Street’s landscape for over 10 years. Graham Holdings Company, landlord to ASF, has been helping the Foundation prepare financially for the move over the past year. ASF will relocate at the end of March to the James McIlhenny Seaport Center, its handcrafted timber frame perched along the Potomac River, adjacent to Founders Park.
Never has community or the adage “it takes a village” been more important to the mission and programs of the Alexandria Seaport Foundation, a nationally recognized nonprofit which has improved the lives of thousands of young people since 1995 through traditional wooden boat building, adult mentoring and project-based learning.
The list of community partners offering assistance is extensive, including: AlexRenew providing indoor and outdoor storage space, Maestro Management providing administrative office space, Covanta providing a corporate donation and BoatUS providing an industrial dumpster for trash removal.
ASF’s Apprentice and Educational Programs will be building smaller boats and hands-on projects which provide young people the skills necessary for job placement and educational success. The core mission of serving young people in need of direction will remain the same, with an average of 24 apprentices going through the program annually. ASF’s Middle School Math Program, currently serving 150 Francis C. Hammond and George Washington middle school students, will continue to improve math competency using this proven, project-based, educational approach.
Kathy Seifert
Director of Development,
Alexandria Seaport Foundation