STEAMsport, Inc.’s Urban Regata mixes education with industry

The historic neighborhood of Castleberry Hill played host to the Urban Regatta, a unique event merging art, creativity, and community service. Photo by Lentheus Chaney/The Atlanta Voice The historic neighborhood of Castleberry Hill recently played host to the Urban Regatta, a unique event merging art, creativity, and community service.In 2011, Bottle Rocket restaurant created this free event, which featured a variety of handmade boats built on bicycle frames and decorated in a variety of themes imagined by the competing crew.This year’s event was not just about the competition but also about fundraising and making a difference in the community.Toni Dillard, the operations director of STEAMsport Inc., a nonprofit organization, focuses on providing free STEAM programming in science, technology, engineering, art, and math for students in underserved communities.“We are located just a few blocks from the Castleberry Hill area. This is part of our service area,” Dillard said. “We became involved in the event because one of our board members, Wynn Pennington, is one of the organizers [of the Urban Regatta]. He’s always working closely with us to help with fundraising and exposure.”Photo by Lentheus Chaney/The Atlanta VoiceAccording to Wynn Pennington, who also serves as the president of the Castleberry Hill...