JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Captain Sandy Yawn, Florida native and star of Bravo’s Below the Deck, is raising awareness for new educational initiatives in public schools across the state, starting with Duval and St. Johns counties. She aims to give students workforce skills that prepare them for careers in the maritime industry.
Her programs include Ocean Rangers, which focuses on marine education for elementary students, and Steering Toward Success, which teaches maritime vocational skills and STEM curriculum to middle and high school students.
Yawn explains that her career on the water gave her opportunities to earn, learn, and travel the world.
“I found the maritime industry, which is a cool place to work. You make great money, and you get to travel like, and there’s also land-based jobs. So, I thought to myself, after I got the TV show, I got thousands of messages of how to get in this industry because they see us counting the cash on TV, you know, but it is hard work. So, I decided, how can I get something into, into elementary school, middle school and high school in the public sector, right? Not the special schools, but the schools that kids go to every day where the parents can’t afford private school, you know, they can’t afford college to have this opportunity for children. And so, with the lobbyists, we got the funding; we created a curriculum, which are very expensive. Curriculum writing is very expensive. And now we want to put it in every school in the state of Florida, and we want to start with Duval and Saint John’s,” said Yawn.
Supporters can help by purchasing a sponsored Florida license plate, which funds these programs.
“It’s a trade, and that’s how I grew up and it’s not a special bus that takes you somewhere. It’s going to be in your classroom, and this is going to fund it and that when we get this reoccurring revenue, it’s going to make a difference for every kid on this planet,” said Yawn.
For more information and how you can support, visit Captain Sandy’s Charities.
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