News

By Gina McClain, Volunteer Specialist

After a busy April with both Earth Day and Volunteer Appreciation Month, I underestimated how many action-packed summer events would be available to us. Since folks love manatees all year, it goes without saying that we get to attend manatee-related events year-round!

With the Save the Manatee 5K in full swing virtually all over the world, we are more involved with running events, including our own Save the Manatee 5K Virtual Meet-up at Blue Jacket Park in Lake Baldwin, Florida, on October 12th. We had a wonderful time attending the St. Pete Pier Run that was held over July 3rd and 4th, and our inflatable manatee Hope looked beautiful watching the sun rise over Tampa Bay. We will return to St. Pete in November for the culmination of the Manatee Marathon.

Over the summer, we partnered with non-profit groups like the Florida Environmental Health Association to train Scouts on how to earn their Sustainability merit badge. We also had a group of volunteers mark storm drains for the City of Orlando to honor World Oceans Day, as all drains lead to the ocean.

We remain involved in many educational outreach opportunities: reading at public libraries, giving in-person and virtual presentations to schools, colleges, and associations, and attending events with several other non-profits, like the Brevard Zoo and the Orlando Science Center. We also attended the SoFlo Boat Show in Miami in May. It is always amazing to interact with folks in the boating world.

With all this activity and wanting to be present at even more events, we have again expanded our Lead Volunteer Team. Please congratulate Kerri Freedman, our Sarasota/Bradenton Lead Volunteer, who joins Rhonda Roberts and Hannah Szuch in leading teams of volunteers at events around the state! For those of you on the Suncoast who have missed volunteering with us, Kerri is eager to go, and we have upcoming opportunities for you! Please check our online events calendar and look for my monthly emails.

You can also learn more about Kerri in her Volunteer Spotlight article on our website.

As always, I want to thank everyone for their unwavering support and kindness to both SMC and manatees! Save the Manatee Club remains dependent on YOU and your willingness to donate your time to attend festivals, events, and cleanups. All of us are incredibly grateful for each of our fabulous volunteer manateam members! If you are a lapsed volunteer or are unsure of your status, please reach out to me via email.

Please protect your skin, stay hydrated, and I will be in touch soon to plan out even more new and cool events!