Page 10 - 2026_ISSUE 1_AMIkids Yacht Donor Magazine

CHIP DUANE

For longtime supporter and yacht do-
nor Chip Duane, philanthropy has al-
ways been guided by faith and values.
Every Sunday at Mass, he heard the
familiar passage: “It is easier for a cam-
el to go through the eye of a needle
than for a rich man to enter heaven.”
“That message stayed with me,” he says,
“reminding me to use my blessings with
purpose.”

S “I grew up middle-class,” Chip recalls.
“We weren’t rich, but I had a good life.
IE I didn’t really start making money until
I was about 45. By then, my focus was
my family—making sure my kids were
educated and had opportunities.”
TOR families of their own, he and his wife re-
Once his children were grown and raising

alized they had more to give. “You reach
a point where you don’t need everything
you’ve accumulated,” he says. “That’s
when I started looking around for people

S who needed support.”
That reflection led him to AMIkids. “I was
drawn not only to the Marine Apprentice-
ship Program, which gives young people
DONOR
hands-on training, but also to the organi-
zation’s broader mission of empowering
youth to discover their potential,” he
explains. Through his yacht donation,
students gain the skills, confidence, and
encouragement they need to move for-
ward in life.

For Chip, the most important lesson for
young people is ownership. “Take charge
of your life. Find what you love and com-
mit to it fully,” he says. He also recalls ad-
vice from his father: “If you’re going to be

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