And The Winners Are...

The Save the Harbor team is very pleased to announce the winners of BEST COSTUME in Revere, East Boston, South Boston, and Quincy last weekend, complete with pictures of their great outfits! Thanks so much to everyone who dressed up for helping to make our 1st Annual Cupid Splash so much fun, and such a success!

In Revere, our best dressed Cupids were Meghan Maguire and Emily Di Giulio! Meghan also raised the most money on Revere Beach, single-handedly collecting $1,250 to support Save the Harbor and our region's public beaches!

Samantha Jane took a completely different angle in Winthrop, dressing head to toe in animal print and sending out a message to Cupid!

In East Boston, Jamy Madeja abandoned the "original" Splash theme when it was postponed from February to April. Instead of going as a cupid for Valentine's day, she dressed up as an "April Fool," complete with a jester hat and shoes!
In South Boston, Mary Devlin took the cake as the most festive Cupid. Here she is on the right in her awesome red flapper dress. She only took her red high heels off to run into the the water-- now that's dedication!
Nancy Johnson came prepared to take the First Splash of Spring in Quincy in her cozy bathrobe and festive hat and footwear. Great job Nancy!

Aaaaaand in Lynn and Nahant, we're still looking for the names of our two festive cupids, pictured here in the center of Lynn and Nahant's group photo! Anyone out there who knows their names, please let us know so we can reward their awesome efforts!


Thank you to everyone who dressed up for bringing your bright colors, extra enthusiasm, and smiling faces to the beach last Saturday! We'll be in touch with you individually to get you your prizes! Thanks for everything, Cupids!

Wonderful Beach! Wonderful Cupid Splash!

Junyue “Fiona” Pang is an international student from Sichuan, China who is studying at Boston University this academic year. While Fiona recently began an internship at Save the Harbor / Save the Bay, the Cupid Splash was her first exposure to the work we do and the fun that we have doing it! Read on to find out more about her experience…

I was so excited on April 2nd. I couldn’t help getting up early that morning because the First Annual Cupid Splash was held on that day by Save the Harbor/Save the Bay!

I was in a hurry to go to Revere Beach with my friends because I heard that Bruce Berman, who has worked with Save the Harbor for 20 years but who is also my professor at Boston University, was going to jump into the water with more than a hundred other participants to raise funds for the organization and the beaches.

Thanks to the wonderful sunshine, I loved the big smile on everyone’s face on the beach. I felt that everybody was passionate and enthusiastic! There were adorable little children dressed up with big wings just like cupid, and many people wearing beautiful costumes. In particular, Ernie Garneau, who had a red face and a big red heart on his chest was really funny and outstanding!

Seeing so many people jumping into the cold sea on such a winter day was impressive and unforgettable. They were brave! Hundreds of people witnessed and enjoyed the big event on all the other beaches as well.

Promoting the ideas of protecting the beaches-- and raising funds for Save the Harbor and the beaches at the same time through this kind of activity-- was such a great win-win idea. I think it makes people realize the importance of beaches and the Harbor while having fun with them at the same time.

I’ve already been looking forward to the Cupid Splash for the next year and I’ll be a participant if I have the chance! What’s more, I would like to do even more now to protect the beautiful beaches with Save the Harbor/Save the Bay.

Junyue “Fiona” Pang
Intern
Save the Harbor / Save the Bay

JetBlue Airways to Honor Educator at Fenway Park

I thought you all might like to see this.

Stay tuned. 

Bruce

April 7, 2011

For Immediate Release                          


Environmental Educator Bruce Berman of Boston University and Save the Harbor / Save the Bay was chosen "Most Valuable Teacher" by JetBlue Airways and will throw out the first pitch at game two of the Boston Red Sox / New York Yankees homestand in Fenway Park on Saturday, April 9, 2011.

Berman teaches an undergraduate course in marine science as well as American management, business communication, and Boston Harbor history and policy in the Department of Administrative Science at Boston University's Metropolitan College where he has introduced hundreds of students from around the world to Boston's extraordinary harbor.

Bruce is also the lead architect of Save the Harbor / Save the Bay's free youth environmental education programs that have connected 50,000 youth and teens to Boston Harbor and the Boston Harbor Islands since 2002.

He and his wife Save the Harbor / Save the Bay's President Patricia Foley are avid Red Sox fans and live for most of the year on their boat "Verandah" at Constitution Marina on Boston Harbor.

"Actually, it is quite and honor - and a big responsibility" said Berman, 55, who watches nearly every Red Sox game but acknowledges that he hasn't played much baseball since 1971. "I have much more experience casting for big striped bass on Boston Harbor than I do pitching at Fenway Park. But I have been practicing since I got the news last week, and promise to try to my best for my team."

"Maybe they will play "Love That Cleaner Water" quipped Berman who has been the spokesman for Save the Harbor / Save the Bay for 20 years.

For more information contact Matt Wolfe at 617-451-2860

Cupid's Visit to Revere Beach

I woke up early Saturday morning to find my father with red face paint on his face and a red heart on his chest. Yep, this is how I started the day off... only be followed by more craziness. Revere Beach hosted Save the Harbor / Save the Bay's first annual Cupid Splash on Saturday, April 2nd. The sun was shinning, the birds were out, the wind was blowing, and the water… was cold. Despite the temperature it did not stop the brave volunteers, who ran with open arms into the water. I have never seen so many people happy to run into freezing cold water! Despite my father’s attempts at black mailing me; I refused to go in. The event itself was wonderful even as a spectator; there was music, plenty of people-- many dressed in their best cupid themed attire-- hot clam chowder from Summer Shack, and Kelly’s Roast Beef. There was a even film crew from the local news channel and plenty of cameras going off.



The reason that this splash was so special was because it is the only splash that is for the beaches, the beach communities, and the environment. Everyone raised money to aid in keeping our local beaches clean and providing free events and activities-- and that was definitely the reason that everyone came out of the water with a big smile on their faces. I cannot wait for next year’s splash to see it get bigger and even crazier!

Ariel Garneau
Revere Beach Partnership
Save the Harbor / Save the Bay

Winthrop's First Splash of Spring

This past Saturday, April 2nd, I got to not only participate in but represent Save the Harbor/Save the Bay at our First Splash of Spring on Winthrop Beach! Winthrop Beach was one of eight beaches that partook in the simultaneous cold-water pledge and plunge, spanning from Nahant to Nantasket. Originally named the “Cupid Splash,” the First Splash of Spring turned out to be a huge success, raising over $21,000 for Save the Harbor / Save the Bay and our region's public beaches. Our communities exceeded our original goal of raising $15,000 by over $5,000!

Although Winthrop was considered one of the smaller Splashes, the shore was booming with spectators as me and ten other Splashers embraced the cool waters. Evidently the water wasn’t cold enough for some Splashers, as a few dare devils decided to trample into the ocean for a second splash! We all rejoined to collect Cupid Splash gift bags as well as enjoy some pizza that had been donated by Winthrop’s Parks and Recreation Department. Winthrop Beach Splashers managed to raise $1,215, a great triumph, if I do say so myself!

We all gathered at Kelley’s Square Pub after the beach to celebrate not catching hypothermia as well as the First Splash of Spring itself. Kelley’s staff and our friends at Harpoon Brewery did a wonderful job making sure that the over-21 crowd enjoyed their refreshing Harpoon beers and that the under-21 crowd felt welcome in the family-friendly establishment.

April 2^nd turned out to be a great day for not only Splashers on Winthrop Beach but on all the beaches! Not only was it a great and fun way to raise money for such a wonderful cause, but Jet Blue Airways tickets were provided for whoever raised the most money on each beach. Prizes also included a $1,000 grant from Save the Harbor’s Better Beaches Program to the beach that raised the most money and the beach that had the largest turn out.

As a communications intern here at Save the Harbor, it was a great opportunity to watch this event unfold so successfully!

Thanks to everyone who was a part of the great day!

Courtney Hickey

Communications and Event Planning Intern

Save the Harbor / Save the Bay

Splashing Our Way Into Spring

This April 2nd was a gorgeous day, not just because of the amazing weather-- with the lovely sunshine and the pure blue sky-- but it was also our First Splash of Spring at Save the Harbor/Save the Bay. Me and two other interns were assigned to help the Cupid Splash event at Revere Beach, which is the biggest fundraiser out of all the eight beaches that day.

There were so many people on the Revere Beach for the event including community members, reporters, Save the Harbor staff, and all our proud and brave splashers who made this extraordinary event possible. We set up our table and tent next to the beach and gathered all the splashers to take group pictures. Although the weather was great, it was still windy on the beach, which made running into the water with cupid costumes on still a little bit cold. However, all our brave splashers ran into the water, and the event was exciting! Free tasty hot clam chowder and hot chocolate were served to warm all the splashers up.

After the event we drove to 338 Grill pub for the warm-up party and enjoyed the free Harpoon beer provided by our sponsor, Harpoon Brewery. We celebrated the great success of our event and had lots of fun together.


Everybody enjoyed the day so much on the beach. As an intern at Save the Harbor/Save the Bay, I'm so happy that our 1st Cupid Splash ended up with huge success and happiness. Thanks to all our participants, sponsors and donors, we have proudly raised more than $20,000 for our local pubic beaches and our communities. We will keep doing this and I believe it's going to be even more fun in the future with more new ideas and even more splashers!

Fred Zhao
Intern
Save the Harbor / Save the Bay