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Philanthropy Highlights Winter 2024
Read about a trip to help teen volunteers learn about turtles, a record-breaking coastal cleanup and two charter donor spotlights.
Day Octopus Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific/Robin Riggs
January 23, 2024
Winter 2024 Highlights
Aquarium staff stand in front of the1,057 pounds of trash picked up.
Record-Breaking California Coastal Cleanup
On September 23, over 400 people of all ages joined the Aquarium for another record-breaking California Coastal Cleanup at the end of the Long Beach Peninsula. Volunteers from over 25 companies and organizations from across Southern California pitched in to remove an impressive 1,057 pounds of trash off the beach, including tiny micro-plastics, fishing wire, food wrappers, barstools, and even a lobster cage! “Thank you to all that joined to make our beaches even more beautiful!” said Ryan Ashton, vice president of development.
Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific/Madeline Walden
SoCal Honda Brings Aquarium on Wheels to Local Students
Long-time sponsor, the Southern California Honda Dealers Association granted a special “random act of helpfulness” this past October by bringing the Aquarium on Wheels to the Un Mundo De Amigos preschool in Long Beach. The Helpful Honda team surprised more than 100 students and their parents with an opportunity to touch and learn about anemones, urchins, sea stars, and more. For many of the children, it was their first interaction with the Aquarium or any sea life.
“The Aquarium on Wheels event meant the world to the Un Mundo de Amigos school community, where many families face financial challenges. This special experience brought so much happiness to our students and their families, sparking their curiosity about the ocean and marine life. We want to express our deepest thanks to the Helpful SoCal Honda Dealers and the Aquarium of the Pacific for making this incredible event possible,” said Elisa Coburn, program director at Un Mundo De Amigos.
Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific/Fahria Qader
Charter Donor Spotlight: Honda
As a founding supporter, Honda supports the Aquarium’s mission to educate and raise awareness of the issues facing the ocean planet and inspire stewardship. Honda has supported numerous education and conservation initiatives, provided in-kind support such as vehicles and boat motors, and contributed to Pacific Visions. In addition, hundreds of Honda associates have volunteered at Aquarium-hosted beach clean-ups, and Honda leadership has volunteered time and talent to the Aquarium’s Board of Directors and the Trustees of the Pacific.
Most recently, the Honda Engineering Roadshow, in partnership with the Center of Science and Industry, stopped at the Aquarium’s Family Science Night on October 12, 2023. This national education program delivered 400 Engineering Learning Lunchboxes containing hands-on science kits to early learners and their families.
In May 2023 Honda provided a $100,000 grant in support of the Aquarium’s Ocean Science Education program, which emphasizes experiential learning and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) identity-building through on- and off-site school programs and career exposure and skills development for teens.
Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific/Andrew Reitsma
Charter Donor Spotlight: Boeing
Over the past 25 years The Boeing Company has supported the Aquarium in multiple ways. The grant investment has funded key Aquarium education initiatives such as the Boeing Teacher Institute, school field trips, paid internships, and scholar programs. Boeing employees volunteer their time onsite with the Aquarium’s education and husbandry departments, as well as at offsite events such as the Earth Day Wetland Restoration Day. Boeing executives have served on the Aquarium’s Board of Directors and Trustees of the Pacific, and numerous in-kind gifts have been donated to the Aquarium’s fundraising events.
“The depth and breadth of Boeing’s support is amazing,” said Ryan Ashton, vice president of development. “We are excited for a vibrant future of working together to make an impact on young students and to create pathways of entry into the STEM fields.”
In August 2023 The Boeing Company provided a $100,000 grant in support of the Aquarium’s suite of STEM Pathway Initiatives, which span from early childhood to college career scientists.