Join Us at Our Inaugural Gala

"So how do we come together and give access? You think of Newark, a place where talent is everywhere, but access and opportunity is not... It's time for this sport to blow up, and it will start with this team... I hope that you'll join us, and do what's best for Newark!"

"I didn't know a whole lot about rowing. I went to school at Northeastern, so of course I saw the boats and everything out on the Charles River, but I didn't know about the sport. But being there [at regattas] as an African-American woman, seeing my son [compete], and supporting him, again meant everything to me."

"Thanks to rowing... it provided many opportunities for me and gave me access to many doors that I didn't think would be open... it takes everybody to succeed... you know it meant a lot to me because I saw my other brothers that I was rowing with suffering just as much as I was and continuing to go back and come to practice."

"For too long, the sport of rowing, that has all these incredible life lessons to share and this very strong network of people has been limited to too few. It's no secret that the sport (of rowing) does not reflect the diversity of our country. That has gone on for too long...  it's got to start somewhere... Working on diversity, equity, and inclusion is a priority of mine as the CEO... so it is my pleasure to serve on the Board of Advisors for Brick City Rowing, and doing whatever I can to make sure this program is successful.

"It [rowing] definitely made me a lot stronger minded, to sit down and focus while doing repetitive work. It felt draining at the time, but it [the sport] taught me to be a lot more selfless overall. [Rowing] Definitely, reinforced the single point of, just jump into something, even if you're a little afraid. If you want it, just try it out! Don't be afraid to do so."

"You work hard, you go through some tough stuff, and you create a new space. That's what Benedict's rowing did, they showed up and said, 'We're here, what's up?!' "