See the full Gala Photo Album (Michel Guyon & John Salangsang of Line8 Photography)
What a night!! Thank you to all who were a part of the celebration. Your generous support of the Bring Back the Beach 2023 Gala enables Heal the Bay to continue (and expand) our mission to make coastal waters and watersheds in Greater Los Angeles safe, healthy, and clean. Guests enjoyed drinks, dancing and a one-of-a-kind experience in the Time to Act Augmented Reality Tents all at the iconic Jonathan Club right on the beach in Santa Monica.
Bring Back the Beach was a tremendous success, raising critical funds to reinforce our work!
With your support the event raised more than 🎉$925,000🎉exceeding all expectations and allowing Heal the Bay to continue our mission to #protectwhatyoulove: our irreplaceable Southern CA watersheds and coastal waters.
We were delighted you were part of the celebration honoring Assemblywoman Luz Rivas with the Dorothy Green Award; Amy Liu, Founder Tower 28 Beauty, with the Wave Award; and Jan & Marsh Mokhtari, Co-Founders Gray Whale Gin, with the Walk the Talk Award (Images below). We also hope you had fun!
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- Assemblywoman Luz Rivas & Tracy Quinn, CEO of Heal the Bay
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- Jan & Marsh Mokhtari, Founders of Gray Whale Gin
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- Tracy Quinn & Amy Liu, Founder of Tower 28 Beauty
Check out the Bring Back the Beach Gala Flickr for even more pictures of the spectacular celebration.
A tidal wave of thanks to all the elected officials who came out to show their environmental support for our coastline from #Summit2Sea:
🔷Assemblymember Luz Rivas
🔷Assemblymember Mike Fong
🔷Senator Ben Allen
🔷Assemblymember Laura Friedman
🔷Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi
🔷Assemblymember Jaqui Irwin
🔷Assemblymember Lisa Calderon
🔷LA City Katy Yaraslovsky, 5th Council District
A Great Wave of Gratitude for our Special Supporters
Thank you once again to our special supporters–without whom this magical night would not have been possible–for being part of the movement to improve LA from summit to sea!
Liquid IV
LAcarGUY
Gregory Willis Air Lease Corporation
Laura Woeste Air Lease Corporation
Laura Woeste Air Lease Corporation
Dan Bunce Brown and Caldwell
Gray Whale Gin
Craig Perkins The Energy Coalition
Marsh Mokhtari Gray Whale Gin
Adam Sullins Latham & Watkins LLP
Robin Onkka GHD Ticket
Beverley Stinson AECOM
Amy Bowers Arcadis
Audi Pacific Donation
Jim Clark Black & Veatch
Leneyde Chavez Carollo Engineers
Melissa Ferguson CDM Smith
Kristi Steinberg Ernst & Young Donation
Ian Eddleston EY
Ian Eddleston EY
Donna Bloom-Crook HDR Engineering, Inc.
Brandon Ramirez Hyundai Motor America
Brandon Ramirez Hyundai Motor America
Rich Nagel Jacobs
Larry Witzer Johnny Carson Foundation
Pamerla Perez LA Sanitation
Los Angeles Department of Water & Power
Nikita Lingenfelter McCarthy Construction
Adel Hagekhalil Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
Sharon Lawrence
Camela Ott None
Richard Katz Richard Katz Consulting, inc.
Venu Kolli Stantec Consulting
Greg Morena The Albright
Adam Galia The Boeing Company
Kari Boiler The Boiler Family Trust
Arie Harel The Walsh Group
Amy Liu Tower 28
Toyota Santa Monica
Bob Kane World Surf League
Katy Fox Donation BOA
Madelyn Glickfeld
Brian O’Malley
David Weil Harvard-Westlake School
Hampik Dekermenjian Hazen and Sawyer
Chris Minton Larry Walker Associates
Maribeth Tan Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts
Caitlin Ishigooka Southern California Edison
Luciana Brafman Time to Act Entertainment
Nichol Shuart Wells Fargo Capital Finance
Tim began volunteering with Heal the Bay in 2017. Through the years, Tim has been instrumental to the Beach Captains team for Nothin’ But Sand and Heal the Bay public cleanup programs. In the past, Tim represented Heal the Bay at tabling events in the community and helped spread our virtual Knowledge Drop education series at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Tim brings a strong sense of community to each cleanup and ensuring all team members feel informed and involved along the way, commanding the attention of our cleanup volunteers at Nothin’ But Sand every month, ensuring a safe cleanup. At the end of the cleanup, Tim leads the charge, weighing the trash and transporting large items to the dumpster, often by himself. There is no task Tim isn’t willing to do. 
Since joining Heal the Bay’s MPA Watch Program in February 2020, John has conducted more than 385 MPA Watch surveys. His surveys alone account for more than 25% of the submitted surveys on behalf of Heal the Bay’s MPA Watch program. John’s increased resolution in our data came during an exceptional need to record unprecedented changes in human recreational and consumptive behavior in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. John was awarded the MPA Watch Super Healer award in 2020 and his dedication to Heal the Bay has only grown stronger, serving as an active volunteer, a Beach Captain at monthly NBS beach clean-ups, Suits on the Sand events, and at Heal the Bay’s Coastal Cleanup Day in 2022. John’s contributions are invaluable
John Reyes attends every Heal the Bay volunteer opportunity. There isn’t a cleanup program or Heal the Bay event that John is not involved. Since 2018, John has captained Coastal Cleanup Day sites in Dockweiler State Beach and even organized his own Adopt-A-Beach team, “the Beach Reacher’s”, to clean up would-be marine debris from L.A.’s inland watershed. John is always one of the first volunteers to sign up to support special Heal the Bay events such as the Trash Bowl and Golf Open. Even during the rainy seasons John joins our Storm Response cleanup efforts. His leadership at Nothin But Sand Cleanups are instrumental and he has volunteered at over 100 Suits on the Sand cleanups. The current Beach Programs team wishes to express the greatest gratitude for John’s dedication and outstanding support.
Actress, philanthropist, and leader Sharon Lawrence is known to most as the 
Anthony Marguleas of Amalfi Estates often notes: “we are a philanthropic company that excels at selling real estate. Alongside our commitment to our clients stands our commitment to our community.” Every year the Amalfi team donates 10% of their commissions to Heal the Bay among six L.A. charities. 
Andrea is an actress, filmmaker, and artist, but we all know and love her as one of our most dedicated Beach Captains and Speakers. She has been a Heal the Bay volunteer for many years, inspiring countless attendees at our Nothin’ But Sand Beach Cleanups with her energizing educational safety talks. Rain or shine Andrea is always ready to help setup at the beach and a reliable amplifier promoting Heal the Bay’s messaging and advocacy through social media often serving as impromptu social media photographer for the Communications team. This year, Andrea furthered her passion for Heal the Bay’s mission with the completion on “Marina the Mermaid”. the single-use plastic recycle. This 6-foot-tall recycled mannequin is adorned with pounds of items collected during Nothin’ But Sand Cleanups and her own self-cleanups. Her artwork will be on display during the entirety of Earth Month this April at the Heal the Bay Aquarium to raise environmental awareness.
Celina is a real Ocean Hero, dedicating extensive time and effort to interpreting marine life for the public at the Heal the Bay Aquarium. She has helped countless visitors interact with ocean creatures for the first time at the Aquarium while exercising unwavering advocacy for the animals that live in Santa Monica Bay. Celina inspires people to connect with the ocean. We are so grateful to you, Celina, for all that you have done!
Hannah is a Heal the Bay regular and is always open to new experiences. Whether breaking down birthday parties or interpreting at the touch tanks on busy weekends, Hannah has made our aquarium programs unforgettable. Hannah is not only enthusiastic and dedicated but also extremely well-known for their unmatched button-making skills! We are grateful to Hannah for always coming to our rescue at the Heal the Bay Aquarium when it is needed the most. 
Sophia is a Wave Maker who has inspired her peers to take action in support of environmentalism. An amazing advocacy teacher for all our new public programs volunteers, Sophia dedicated time to the Aquarium by ensuring guests responsibly interacting with our animals. . Sophia is a kindhearted leader with compassion for the ocean, and we are proud to have her on our team.
Ren is a stellar Public Programs volunteer. Extremely knowledgeable, dependable, and always curious, Ron has been volunteering with the Public Programs team for more years than some senior staff members! We love talking with Ren about discoveries in marine science, and are grateful for Ren’s infectious passion as part of the Heal the Bay team!
Jim has been volunteering with the Aquarium Operations department for the past two years and is an invaluable member of our team. Jim’s curiosity and dedication to protecting our environment shines through in all the work he does with Heal the Bay. From helping keep exhibits squeaky clean to spending time out on the sand supporting a beach cleanup, Jim has done it all. He is easily our best and most reliable first mate on Dorothy for kelp collections and overall incredible support to have at the Heal the Bay Aquarium. We’re so honored to have Jim be part of our team!
Russell first volunteered with Heal the Bay in 2021, as a Beach Captain to help clean coastal areas. Russell is a tireless hero of our Nothin’ But Sand cleanups; always working and giving his all. Recently, Russell has developed into one of our leading Corporate Outreach volunteers, helping at Suits on the Sand cleanups, and on more than one occasion assisting at TWO cleanups in ONE day. Russell is our Suits on the Sand superstar. 
Brant started as a Beach Captain in 2022 and has exhibited multitalented capabilities of leading any station. Exceptionally helpful with uplifting all our new digital initiatives at our cleanups, such as the electronic check-in, waiver check, and DEI survey, Brant’s commitment to community outreach streamlines Heal the Bay’s Beach Program initiatives.
Alice began volunteering with Heal the Bay in 2022 and has been an excellent addition to the Beach Captains team. Alice hit the sand running, quickly optimizing our Nothin’ But Sand event procedures, most importantly, our registration booth protocols. With Alice at the registration desk the Beach Programs volunteer teams are able to check-in 300 attendees in an hour or less. In addition to serving as a teacher on the sand for other volunteers, Alice is one of our most dependable Beach Captains.
David started volunteering his data analysis skills to Heal the Bay in 2020. In the past, he helped our water quality scientists assess dissolved oxygen levels in the Channel Islands Harbor, painting an impressive overview of the data through visuals and a results overview video. This year, David has started volunteering his time and expertise to help the Beach Programs team revive the marine debris database, integrating our historic data with current datasets, and helping Heal the Bay bring our historic marine debris database into a modern, accessible format. Thank you for making that dream a reality! 
Tasha Kolokotrones has been an MPA Watch volunteer with Heal the Bay since 2021. Inspired by a love of the outdoors, Tasha has conducted more than 50 MPA watch surveys earning honorable mention as one our most active MPA Watch volunteers. In 2022, Tasha submitted more surveys than 90% of our other program volunteers. Thanks to Tasha, our Marine Protected Area in Palos Verdes had consistent MPA Watch monitoring in 2022, an accomplishment all on its own! 
On December 3, 2021 our local water agency leaders gathered together to discuss the major water challenges impacting Greater Los Angeles and how to solve them at Heal the Bay’s first-ever 
Energy was high and the feeling was hopeful as the 
