Great Beach Clean Up

On July 22 at the Jones Beach Coast Guard Station, approximately 100 exchange students from Taiwan came down to lend a hand cleaning the beach and learning about our environment. The ages of the kids ranged from 10 to 16. With the support of Adelphi University, the children learned about all of the life that they saw in the water, air and on the beach. With temps in the 90's, we all cleaned the beach (for a while) swam and then ate a wonderful picnic supplied by their chaperones. Operation SPLASH estimated 500 pounds of debris were removed from the shoreline. SPLASH also had some local young volunteers helping w/ international relations. Nick Hartofelis said "I had a great time with Captain Don. I like to help clean the earth. I love going to the islands on the boats. I would definitely go again." Mike Weltner enjoyed showing the group his backyard (the Bay). Both boys spent the day talking and helping the visitors enjoy their stay on the beach. Captain Don believes the "Hands Across the Oceans" program is a wonderful way to promote better understanding and communication across cultural boundaries. All who attended gained more respect for the environment and realized that with communication (not so clear all the time) we are all on this planet for similar reasons. Many thanks to all the SPLASH volunteers who put in the time to make this day a truly wonderful experience.

Captain Don
1st. VP and Environmental Educator