Wow! The Seaside Soiree was a lot of fun and a huge success. It was great to talk to you about your vision for fishable, swimmable and drinkable waters in San Diego County.
Kristine Gallagher and Morgan Bailey at the 17th Annual Seaside Soiree
Photography Volunteered by Tom Mills and Jennifer Kendrick (see our Facebook album, too)
Thanks to your generosity, the 2014 Seaside Soiree raised $30,000 that will go directly to programs to protect and restore fishable, swimmable, drinkable water in San Diego County. And with a match incentive extended by the Stiefel Behner Charitable Fund, we now have a three-month challenge to fundraise $25,000. (To get us started, our Board of Directors President Jo Brooks and I each donated $500–won’t you join us today?)
With your donation today and the funds raised at our Seaside Soiree, it means:
- Countywide watersheds will continue to be monitored with a volunteer force and ecosystem health will be measured with new bioassessment technologies.
- Officials throughout the county will hear from us on programs and laws to prevent over-watering and pollution.
- Teachers will be trained by San Diego Coastkeeper in watershed science and provided hands-on materials to use with their knowledge-hungry students.
- We will ensure we wean ourselves from a diet of 80 percent foreign water and use the resources that already flow through our water pipes to provide clean, safe local drinking water in San Diego County.
Special thanks to Michael Gelfand, CEO of Campland on the Bay, who presented a generous $15,000 donation to kick off a campaign through which Campland visitors can donate $1 per night during their stay at this Mission Bay campground.
Thank you to all who helped to make this event such a success. You are the heart and soul of clean water in our county.
As San Diego Coastkeeper looks forward to our 20th anniversary next year, you have shown us that the movement for healthy waterways is strong.
Please always feel free to comment on a blog post, drop us a line, or stop by our office. I’d be most pleased to continue the great conversations that began overlooking the Pacific Ocean last week.
