Kids in “Friends for Florida” presented $650 to Clearwater Marine Aquarium (CMA) to help take care of its rescued sea turtles. The group, made up of middle school students from Pasco and Hillsborough Counties, was started by friends who wanted to raise awareness about environmental issues. To raise the money, the kids held garage sales, lemonade stands, recycled aluminum cans and collected money outside of a local Wal-Mart.The donated money will go toward medical supplies for sea turtles at CMA. CMA Sea Turtle Manager Danielle O’Neil said, “We truly appreciate selfless individuals such as these who help us take care of our sea turtles. We couldn’t do what we do without amazing community support like this.” “Friends for Florida” was founded in 2007 by the Mark family of Lutz. They have also raised $2,050 for Save Our Seabirds, Tampa Bay Watch and Big Cat Rescue. The group has also taken part in various clean-up and recycling efforts.
Clearwater Marine Aquarium is a Florida non-profit organization, dedicated to marine life rescue, rehabilitation and release, and environmental education. CMA is home to dolphins, sea turtles, river otters, stingrays, nurse sharks and more.
For more information on the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, visit www.seewinter.com.