FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ARLINGTON-BELMONT CREW THANKS THE COMMUNITY FOR OUTPOURING OF SUPPORT
Statement from Salpi Der Stepanian, President of the Board of Directors of the Arlington-Belmont Crew Team
In the three days since the May 17, 2025 theft and destruction of our organization’s racing shells and trailer, the Arlington-Belmont Crew has received an outpouring of support from the Arlington and Belmont communities, fellow rowing organizations, and our program partners. We wish to express our gratitude to all who have contributed their time, money, and equipment to help the AB Crew program recover from this devastating event. We still have a long road ahead of us, but we are heartened by our community.
So far, the AB Crew Team has received hundreds of individual donations, large and small, from across the country, for which we are extremely grateful. In addition, fellow rowing organizations and the Vespoli boat company have offered to lend our rowers racing shells for upcoming races. Local rowing clubs have even given our athletes the opportunity to practice on the water this week using their facilities. Thanks to this incredible generosity, our team can compete at this weekend’s Massachusetts Public School Rowing Association Spring Championship, which is the capstone of our season and the final race for our graduating seniors. To our contributors and our fellow organizations in the rowing community, thank you!
Finally, I wish to recognize the tireless efforts of our coaches and members of the Board of Directors, who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to help our athletes weather this setback. As Coach Kelsey Anderson rightly said at our team meeting yesterday, the AB Crew family is made up of its people, not its boats, and those people are dedicated to recovering from this event.
For media inquiries, please contact Salpi Der Stepanian, Board President, Arlington-Belmont Crew, at [email protected].
To support AB Crew, please visit our official fundraising page at https://abcrewteam.org/fundraising/
