Thank You Thursday – 6.13.13

Watermen and women braved some seriously huge waves on Saturday at the Santa Monica Pier Paddleboard Race and Ocean Festival (pictured left).

For the fourth year in a row, the event’s organizers chose Heal the Bay and the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium as their charity of choice and we couldn’t be prouder!

The festival promotes the connection between the Santa Monica Bay and the community of watermen and women who have enjoyed a myriad water sports for generations – all folks who recognize the role Heal the Bay plays in keeping the ocean healthy for us all. 

We offer special thanks this week to the Roth Family Foundation and the Joseph Drown Foundation for their commitment to education and creating opportunities for LA’s youth!

A “thank you” also goes to the Union Bank Foundation for their longtime support of Coastal Cleanup Day, the annual international volunteer event held every September. Heal the Bay staff coordinates the efforts in L.A. County. Mark your calendars: This year’s CCD will be on September 21, 9 a.m.-Noon.

Speaking of cleanups, employees from DIRECTV, Symantec Corporation, and Wells Fargo joined us for Corporate Healer Beach Cleanups. More than 80 employees from DIRECTV in El Segundo picked up 182 pounds of trash from Dockweiler beach. Fierce competitors, the winning cleanup team, “Direct 6,” collected 30 pounds!  Wells Fargo volunteers picked up an unbelievable 1,268 cigarette butts!

Not to be outdone, a 13-member team from Symantec Corporation collected more than their share of beach trash. Plus, all three companies made dollar donations to sustain our work. Big thanks to last week’s corporate healers!

You can support a clean ocean today and every day.