Today is GiveBIG, Day of Champions, and all donations to CWB through our profile on Seattle Foundation’s Website will be matched by an anonymous donor, dollar for dollar to $2,500, as well as stretched by Seattle Foundation. To celebrate this, we’re sharing some stories from our own champions here at CWB. These champions keep our boats afloat, our visitors and volunteers engaged, and our young people learning. When you GiveBIG to CWB today you’re not just supporting us, you’re supporting them.
Introducing CWB Champions Puffin Team, and Puffin!
Puffin is out of the water, but thanks to Puffin team she will soon be back in
One of the most popular boats in CWB’s collection is Puffin, a steamboat built in 1907. (Puffin is popular enough to have been featured on the blog many times, and you can read more about her fascinating history here). Puffin is a workhorse for CWB, taking hundreds of people out on Lake Union each year as part of our Sunday Public Ride program. Since she’s been out of the water, visitors young and old have been asking where she is. At over 100 years old, Puffin was in need of some restoration. She’s currently safely housed at CWB’s North Lake Union workshop facility undergoing a full overhaul by our dedicated team of Puffin volunteers.
Puffin is one of the few boats at CWB maintained almost entirely by volunteers. Over the last five years, the core Puffin team of Ken Duvall, Jeff Deren, and Max Schneider have logged over 2700 hours maintaining and giving rides in this boat. In 2014, the crew, which includes many other volunteers, gave rides to well over 600 visitors over 25 weeks in service. They were recently recognized as CWB’s Volunteer Team of the Year at our annual volunteer appreciation event.
The team is finishing up their restoration work, and Puffin should return to the water in time for CWB’s busy summer months. Watch for news of Puffin’s launch in the next few weeks. We hope to have a special celebration welcoming this much loved boat back to the water.
Volunteer Max working on Puffin
Puffin looks beautiful in the water or out!
Puffin team member Robert shared why he enjoys working on Puffin so much. “I went for one of the public rides on her and fell in love with the boat. I continue my work on Puffin and enjoy every day of it. Perhaps I will some day get a steam boat of my own, but until then, I will learn all I can and enjoy my time with the other dedicated and passionate people who work so hard to keep what is essentially a floating museum up and running and accessible to the public.”
Please join us in thanking the Puffin team – and Puffin! – for their service to CWB. It’s in their name that we ask you to donate to CWB through GiveBIG this year: donate here! And remember, this year your gift will be matched by an anonymous donor as well as stretched by Seattle Foundation. Interested in becoming a volunteer like our Puffin Team members? Check out how to volunteer here.