Spirit is highly regarded as an “education program of choice” in our country. Spirit of America programs have won the attention and accolades of local, regional, national and international organizations, with awards every year since 1996. In particular awards have been presented by two leading national organizations dedicated to boating and water safety education, the National Water Safety Congress and the National Safe Boating Council. We are proud to be recognized by the United States Coast Guard as a leading nonprofit providing outstanding boating and water safety education to American families.

We are in the business of providing a SAFE and educational introduction to our country’s young people, their families and communities, to all types of water based recreational activities in one of the most diverse “hands-on” classrooms in America. Our young people take part in a curriculum, which is directly tied to local, state, and national education standards in a nontraditional classroom setting. We are reversing the decline in outdoor recreation, which we believe to be significant, by providing encouragement and inspiration from some of the finest instructors in the country. The greatest gift we can provide for our future generations is the hope and promise of lives to be lived to their fullest potential in a sustainable environment. Spirit of America does both and believes in promoting the spirit of life long recreational activity while encouraging self-esteem, hope, curiosity and the ability to see beauty in our environment. We provide education and direction to last a lifetime and believe that there should be "No Child Left at the Dock!"

The Spirit of America program is an innovative year round opportunity and experience for middle school students that combines a summer-camp atmosphere with classroom discipline. Students delve into our course that takes them from the classroom to a non-traditional classroom setting, where they are given a tailored version of their NASBLA Approved State Boating Education Course (8 - 12 hours), to the water. The hands on training begins with a "Water Smart From Your Start" pool program to review lessons learned during the NASBLA portion of the course and prepares for the inevitable and not so inevitable on the water. The training continues include to six hours of instruction piloting jon boats, sailboats, canoes, kayaks, rowing, paddle boards, personal watercraft, and a large vessel (ie: law enforcement or US Coast Guard). And all of this is provided free of cost to the participating families!

Overall, the program is designed to teach the young people safety techniques crucial to anyone who pilots a boat: what to do when a man is overboard; how to operate a fire extinguisher; and how to ensure that all men onboard are wearing proper safety gear (life jackets) before heading out.

In addition to the educational components, the program offers additional benefits. Children have the opportunity to practice exercising good judgment and taking responsibility for their actions in a variety of boating settings and situations. Additionally, they are exposed to multiple teachers who approach safety and education issues from various perspectives, allowing them to observe different approaches to solve a problem or remedy a situation.

The Sprit of America program seamlessly blends the fun of safe boating with opportunities for our young participants to mature. It's the combination of these experiences that have made the Spirit of America such a success.