Save Tulane Crew

"All Together" for Tulane Crew! - Vespoli's $20,000 Challenge

The Tulane Crew needs our help to survive.
Our goal is to raise over $20,000 by March 1, 2006.

Vespoli USA is going to match, dollar for dollar, every gift up to $10,000. See a list of those who have generously contributed at the bottom of the page.

Vespoli USA is very pleased to be able to mount this challenge and the pledge to match $10,000 of your gifts. If we can get it done, that $20,000 check can save this program and perpetuate the sport of rowing at Tulane for years to come. Afterall, we, rowers, are all family...and we've got some 'family" that's in trouble. Let's help them out of it.

You have two easy ways to give and we will match both. You can go directly to the Tulane site (make sure to identify the gift "Save Tulane Crew").

Make a tax deductible gift on-line NOW by clicking here:

http://www.tulane.edu/rebuildingfund.html

Please be sure to write in the description box on the Tulane site that your gift is for "Save the Tulane Crew".

Or send a check to: "Save the Tulane Crew Fund", c/o Vespoli USA, 385 Clinton Avenue, New Haven, CT 06513. And remember, we'll match $10,000!

Here is a letter from Mike Vespoli to the rowing community:

Dear Friends of Rowing,

Nearly everyone has a personal connection or story about hurricane Katrina and it's aftermath. The extent of the devastation to lives and property is truly beyond comprehension. The Tulane Crew is one of Katrina's victims and unless we act now, the disaster could spell the end of Tulane rowing.

"All together" is the motto of the Vesper Boat Club, where Bob Jaugstetter and I rowed together back in the early 70's, I am co-opting this motto of our old club to rally the rowing community to join this campaign to save the Tulane Crew Club where Bob is their coach.

As a "club" the Tulane’s crew budget is heavily dependent on fund raisers, such as selling concessions at the Saints football games, etc. Since there are no Saints’ games in New Orleans this year, and won't be any next year, there is a big hole in their budget. Additionally, after the hurricane, University personnel appropriated many oars (which they cut in two!) to paddle the crew's launches around the flooded campus. Launch motors were lost, the trailer was submerged for weeks, and lower boats for novices were trashed. The boat house and docks were also severely damaged. It's a pretty devastating scenario!

The loss of fundraising opportunities and damage to equipment has left the Tulane crew in a desperate situation. With little or no money, trashed equipment and no real community to raise money from, their chances for long term survival are bleak. If Katrina wasn’t enough, the team lost the lead fundraiser for the Tulane crew alumni, Jim Runsdorf in the Harlem river accident recently. These combined events would likely bring any club team to it’s knees.

However, I have never known Bob Jaugstetter to walk away from even the biggest challenge and I suspect his rowers have his same "can do" attitude. Here is a REAL opportunity for the rest of us to pull "ALL TOGETHER" to help. I hope you will join us.

Best wishes to all for a joyous Holiday Season and thanks,

Mike Vespoli

Donors List

Please note this list will be updated weekly. However, getting timely & exact info from Tulane is difficult. We strongly urge those who have contributed ON-LINE to also send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Mike will follow up with Tulane to make sure your gift gets properly credited to the Tulane Crew account. Please note that we are aware of the following gifts but in some cases not the exact amounts. We will make changes to the Donor list as this information becomes available.

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