Swim and Paddle for Boston Harbor

On Saturday, August 3^rd, Save the Harbor/Save the Bay will host The Swim And Paddle For Boston Harbor, a one-mile, championship chip-timed, professionally staffed, competitive swim followed by a chip-timed Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) competition.

Swimmers in last year’s Swim for Boston Harbor

The Swim And Paddle For Boston Harbor will take place at the BCYF Curley Recreation Center at M Street Beach in South Boston, which is among the cleanest urban beaches in America. Swimmers will follow course from the Curley Center in an equilateral triangle and return to the finish line at M Street beach.

Online registration at http://www.swim4bostonharbor.org is open until August 1^st. Participants can also register on-site the morning of the competition on August 3^rd from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM. Swim registration is $50, and the race will be capped at 100 participants.

 

The SUP competition registration is $25, and paddleboard rentals are available for an additional $25. Those wishing to join the party without competing in either event are asked to make a contribution of $25. Save the Harbor/Save the Bay hopes to raise $5,000 to continue our work to restore and protect Boston Harbor and Massachusetts Bay for all Bostonians and the region’s residents and visitors to enjoy.

Proceeds from the swim will benefit Save The Harbor/Save the Bay, while funds raised from the SUP competition will benefit both the Massachusetts Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation and Save the Harbor/Save the Bay.

The top fundraiser will receive a round trip ticket from JetBlue Airways to any destination they fly from Logan Airport. Winners of each event will be entered into a raffle to win tickets from JetBlue Airways as well.  Everyone who donates and attends the party can enjoy a cold pint of Harpoon Beer from our friends at Harpoon Brewery and treats from our new partners at Tasty Burger after the competitions.

10 years ago, this event would not have been possible because the water in the Boston Harbor was often unsafe for swimming after even a small summer storm. Today we are proud to say that this event will take place rain or shine on one of the cleanest urban beaches in America, thanks to the hard work and commitment of thousands of people and the tenacious advocacy of Save the Harbor/Save the Bay.

About Save the Harbor/Save the Bay 


Save the Harbor/Save the Bay is a non-profit, public interest, environmental advocacy organization, whose mission is to restore and protect Boston Harbor, Massachusetts Bay, and the marine environment and share them with the public for everyone to enjoy. 

About the Massachusetts Chapter of Surfrider

The Massachusetts Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation was founded in 1996.  They are an all-volunteer chapter composed of local New England surfer/environmentalists dedicated to the preservation of the New England coastal environmental, elimination of pollution, and open access to our beaches. 

For more information about Save the Harbor/Save the Bay, please visit: www.savetheharbor.org. 

For more information about The Surfrider Foundation, please visit: http://www.surfrider.org.

To register for the Swim and Paddle for Boston Harbor, please visit:

http://www.swim4bostonharbor.org. 

So Many Fish, So Little Time

We started off our day bright and early with a visit to Community Boating located on the Charles River.  Soon after our arrival we baited our eel trap and baited our hooks and waited patiently to see what the day had to offer. Before no time the white and red floaters on the fishing lines soon began to bob feverishly up-and-down, the tell tale sign of something on the other end. Within 30 minutes we had already caught 6 fish, mostly sunfish but with a surprising catch of a small, largemouth bass.

Might look small, but put up quite a fight

As we pulled up our eel trap to our amazement there were no eels to be found, yet sunfish the size of silver dollars had managed to get caught in our trap and it was a perfect opportunity to talk about the different eating times of our chosen prey. After discussing the nocturnal habits of the eels, the kids decided it would be best to let our eel trap soak over night in hopes that tomorrow morning the trap will be bubbling full of eels!

Tiny sunfish caught in our eel trap

As we moved to our afternoon site at Courageous Sailing our luck fishing continued and we caught to chogies right away. After baiting 4 of our lobster traps we let them sit while we took turns fishing and using different types of bait that we had found, from mussels to invasive crabs much fun was had by all to see which type of bait was most successful (it was mussels!). At the very end of the day we decided it was time to pull the lobster traps to check them for any interesting marine critters. As we pulled up our first trap the excited squeals of "We got a lobster!" echoed down the pier. Affectionately named "Robert Lobster" by the kids, we could not help but take some pictures with our first lobster of the season at Courageous.

Trying to give the lobster a smooch!

After such a lucky day on the water, as we all left for the night we couldn't help but dream about what tomorrow, and the rest of the summer, will hold.

The first day I went to work

I am playing soccer with one of the children from the Idiil group.

Hi, everyone. I am Hung and I am going to be a senior at Madison Park High School this September. Today was my first day working at Save The Harbor/Save The Bay. I gave the children from the Idiil group a picture to draw and I talked to them about what we were going to do today. We visited George's Island; we boarded on the boat, talked to each other.  Some children looked at the sea, while some were playing around. We arrived to George's Island, got off the boat and had lunch.

We went to the field to play soccer and kickball. I played soccer with many of the kids. We also went to the tunnel; the tunnel is a cave and it is very dark inside.  I hit the wall in the tunnel while trying to walk through. I walked around the island and noticed that it was small but it is beautiful. I met new friends and I talked to so many children.

Today was my first day at the island. I felt excited and am enjoying these experiences I am getting in my job.

I can't wait to work tomorrow!

I will have a great summer with the children!

Hung

Oh fish, where art thou?

Thi here! On the first great day of All Access, David Coffin led us all to George's Island. Karrisha and I were in charge of the fishing part of the activities and were later joined by two members of Friends of Adam Street Library.

Karrisha and I having fun with our rods!!

 As we were setting up, I had to fillet the fish. I had never done an entire fish by myself before and was so glad that I remembered how to from all the teachings of Bruce Berman. This was something that David Coffin always told us: Try to do something everyday that we have never done before. I got to do two things today!! #1) To fillet an entire fish and #2) go fishing off the docks of George's Island!
Back to the fishing today. Both Mirabelle and Martin were fishing enthusiasts and quickly took up casting the rods after a tutorial to help them remember the steps to use a fishing rod.

With the fish we used for bait after I filleted it!

 But no fish were to be caught. I, however, reeled in my line and got a small female green crab!! She returned to the ocean depths very soon since she scuttled away right when I got her off the piece of bait fish. After that, we had no luck but were joined by many others who just enjoyed the simple, relaxing action of casting and reeling in the line. It was just a great day to lounge around on the new dock and fish with awesome kids! I can't wait to bring out the underwater camera to see all the activity below, right under our feet, and catch these elusive fish! Also I am especially excited to see Mirabelle and Martin again on Thursday on the Marine Mammal Safari.

I'll update you all on the next catches!!
Thi Tran

Island Fun!

Boat ride to George's Island

Hey everyone, it's Kiki here! 

This is my first year working at Save the Harbor/Save the Bay and I just returned from an adventurous day with All Access Boston Harbor!  Today hundreds of kids came together to explore George's Island. We showed the kids around and took them through the tunnel where, as legend tells, the "lady in black" resides. They really seemed to enjoy themselves. They fished, played kickball, and took in the scenery. Seeing all those excited faces even made ME excited. 

In the morning, when everyone arrived at the Bank of America Pavilion, Kristen and I, another Junior Program Assistant, sat with a couple of kids from the Jackson Mann Community Center. They had so many great questions!  They kept asking us what we were going to do at the island, if the boat was scary, and if they would have fun.  We also colored and got to know each other a little better. 

I cannot wait to see what the rest of the summer has in store for us!

-Kiki

Meeting New Friends in Old Places!

Coloring with future Harbor Island Explorers

Hey everyone, Manny here! I'm excited to be back for my second summer with Save the Harbor/Save the Bay!

Here's a picture I would like to share with you that shows some pretty cool kids that I got to meet today.  We all discussed different hobbies and videos games that we were interested in.  I actually had a very good talk with them about their favorite sea creatures! Surprisingly, my friend Franklin, who colored the awesome flounder as you can see in the picture, told me that his favorite sea creature was the Loch Ness Monster which caught my attention seeing as how I've also always been interested in that myth.   I also learned that my buddy Sebastian, holding the cool horse shoe crab portrait, loves fishing but gets sea sick sometimes.  What was great about Sebastian was that while spending time talking, he soon forgot he was even on the boat because of how much of a good time he was having.

While at Georges I helped attach bait to fishing rods for the kids to keep them from handling the sharp hooks.  I worked along side my Lead Harbor Explorer, Thi, while she and I taught the kids how to fish.  I cannot wait to go back to the island tomorrow to hopefully catch a striped bass!

I can honestly say I had a terrific day at Georges Island with these kids! We are gonna be have a fantastic summer!

-Manny

Monday at the Children's Museum

Today was an exciting day for the summer staff at Save the Harbor /Save the Bay. It was the kickoff of our summer 2013 program. This morning our Senior Marine Educators gathered at their various sites alongside their Junior Program Assistants. Every Monday, myself along with the other Senior Marine Educators Bridget and Iris, will be situated along the pier located at the Boston Children's Museum.

Our staff included the Junior Program Assistants sharing a new knowledge of crabs and other marine life.

 Here Bridget teaches what kind of crab she caught to these two children. 

The staff and I facilitated hands-on exploration of living crabs for the visiting children and families. This allowed the children to learn the types of crabs and also difference between a male and female crabs.

One of the Junior Assistants teaches a child how to use a fishing pole. 

 Also we taught the kids how to use the fishing poles as they attempted to catch some fish. We also described  what bait was and why we use it. The children also helped us pulling up and exploring the crabs traps to see if we were able to catch anything.

Here I am showing a child how to use a crab trap

Overall, My fellow staff and I had a great start at the Boston Children's Museum.

First Day on George's Island

That's Sir Isaac the German Shepherd chillin' down the street from my house in Gloucester. We walk this route almost every day because it's on the ocean. The ocean is pretty much where you'll find me any given day between April and October so naturally I'm looking forward to our first day on All Access Boston Harbor 2013. Our first week will be spent exploring Georges Island and the Civil War era Fort Warren. With lots of dark places it's very easy to get scared and I can't bring Isaac with me so I hope Thi and Carolyn will help protect me from all the kids who constantly try to jump out and scare me to death. They hide in the dark tunnel and make some evil looking red eye kind of thing to scare me but I know it's the kids just trying to frighten me so I try not to scream. Lat year Thi screamed so loud her shoe came off. Don't think she ever found it. Davis is one of our new Senior Frisbee guys and I'm really looking forward to learning how to throw a Frisbee forehand. But I'm also anxious to challenge anybody to a rock skipping contest. Oh yeah. We're talking championship rock skipper here. Come on out and take me on. Dude!!

The Whole Fish

As part of our youth education curriculum this year, we will be stressing the effective use of each and every part of the fish that we catch and keep.

While this concept is not new by any standards- as all of our ancestors utilized their resources in this way, often out of pure necessity- mankind has become increasingly wasteful, and today, people do away with many things that, only a few generations ago, would have been used, repurposed or fixed. We at Save The Harbor/ Save The Bay feel that this practice is something that is greatly beneficial to mankind and will help us to live more sustainable lives on this marvelous planet.

Bruce demonstrating how to properly fillet a large striper.

Fortunately this frugal mentality has never quite disappeared from society, and in recent years, it has even gained popularity in what many would consider to be high-class circles. The “snout to tail” movement that has gained traction in the culinary world is just such a trend. As so called foodies have become more adventurous, so to have the chefs catering to them, and now parts of animals that were once considered distasteful by American standards are now being praised as delicacies.

Some adventurous eaters trying freshly prepared ceviche and sashimi.

 Our Whole Fish movement at Save The Harbor/ Save The Bay will take cues from this trend. On top of providing education on fish anatomy, we will take the usable meat from the fish we catch, including the fillets and cheeks, and distribute them to our staff and program partners. The more adventurous may even considering taking home fish roe if it is available, or even the heads, which make fantastic soup stock. While most of the insides and bones will not be eaten they can certainly be used as bait to catch other fish, or more crabs and lobster than one could count. In this way we hope to show the children in our program that, in an ideal world, nothing will be wasted.

From the Classroom to the Harbor

Hi Everyone!

My name is Bridget Ryan and this is my first summer as the Lead Teacher for the Save the Harbor, Save the Bay Summer Youth Programs!  I have traded in my chalkboard and gradebook for fishing rods and crab traps this summer and I couldn’t be happier!

Catching flounder in Montauk

Born a true Maineiac, I grew up in a small town in Connecticut but spent my summers by the sea in Ogunquit, Maine.  I received a B.A. in History/Secondary Education from Providence College and can truly say I am a National Champion.  While at PC, I played three years of club Rugby and in 2005 we won the Division II USA Rugby National Championship in Palo Alto, California.  Jealous? I thought so.  

PC Ruggers '07

Teaching.  I was meant to be a teacher.  Seven years ago I was given the opportunity to teach 8^th grade Civics (the study of government) at the Washington Irving Middle School in Roslindale.  I couldn’t believe it, I had hit the jackpot – I was working for the Boston Public Schools.   I taught two years at the Irving, where I coached the girl’s soccer and basketball teams.  I am currently the 8^th grade Civics teacher at the John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science in Roxbury.  For the past two years I have been the Varsity Softball Coach at the O’Bryant and am very happy to have one of my former players, Kristen O’Brien, working as a Junior Program Assistant this summer!

OB Softball 2013: Ferry to Martha's Vineyard

I am thrilled to kick-off the summer with a fabulous group of colleagues and kids who will absolutely know more about the harbor and the animals that inhabit it by the end of August than ever before!

See you on the beach!

-Bridget

The 2013 "Simply Marble-ous" Treasure Hunt Is On!

Calling All Treasure Hunters!

If you find a one-inch blue and white marble on a Boston area beach from July 4 through Halloween, you could win a round-trip ticket from JetBlue Airways to any domestic destination they serve from Boston's Logan Airport!

Help us find our marbles and you could be a winner!

This summer, Save the Harbor/Save the Bay is again partnering with JetBlue Airways for the "Simply Marble-ous" Treasure Hunt. It is free and easy to enter. If you find a marble on your favorite beach from Nahant to Nantasket, just post a picture of yourself with the marble on Save the Harbor's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/savetheharbor or email your photo and contact information to info@savetheharbor.org.

If you don't find a marble, you can still join in the fun. Just make an online contribution of any amount to Save the Harbor / Save the Bay between July 4 and October 31 and you will be entered into the contest as well. 

The "Simply Marble-ous" Treasure Hunt began in 2012 on the beaches of South Boston with a beach clean up sponsored by JetBlue in partnership with the Massachusetts DCR. In just a few short hours, more than 100 people did 5 weeks worth of work cleaning up the beaches. At the end of the day, the participants released their marbles into the water for Boston beach-goers to find.

Watch a short video about last year's contest.

Ronda Ivy McLeod, JetBlue's Regional Marketing Manager, is looking forward to this year's treasure hunt. "We are proud of our relationship with Save the Harbor and with the community.  Boston is home to our 2,000 crewmembers, who mirror the company's philanthropic efforts with their own volunteer work locally. Partnering with Save the Harbor on the treasure hunt is right in line with our fun value as well as our commitment to the city that chooses JetBlue more than any other airline out of Logan."

"JetBlue Airways is a terrific partner," said Save the Harbor's Bruce Berman. "They care about their customers and our communities, and they are always fun to work with. We really appreciate their support"

Of course the marbles are environmentally friendly. "These marbles are made from glass, which is made from sand." said Berman."Its a great way to encourage people to explore and enjoy the Boston Harbor region's great public beaches."

One of last year's winners with her marble

More than 300 marbles have been "released" so far on Boston area beaches from Nahant to Nantasket by Save the Harbor's summer staffers and Better Beaches program partners already, so start hunting!

Save the Harbor will announce the winners on their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/savetheharbor

The first drawing is on the day after Labor Day, so get busy - and stay tuned.

--Rachel Frenkil
Communication and Events Summer Intern

Howdy!

Hello Blog World,

My name is Iris Ayala, and I will be a Senior Marine Educator with Save the Harbor, Save the Bay this summer. I'm originally from San Antonio, Texas, and I studied English and Secondary Education at Univsersity of the Incarnate Word. I moved to East Boston last July for work, and I was so lucky to live across the street from Constitution Beach, one of the sites that Save the Harbor, Save the Bay will be at this summer.

For the past two years, I have worked with City Year as a full-time volunteer. This past year I was a project leader with Care Force, a sector of City Year that travels the country engaging corporate sponsors to deliver high impact community service events. I developed skills and knowledge in carpentry, painting, and landscaping. For my last event I worked in Richmond, Virginia with the Friends Association where I led 25 corporate volunteers from Aramark to construct a water heater fence, storage shelves, and install play turf into their outdoor area. As my time with City Year came to a close, I wondered how I would spend my summer in Boston, and I started the long process of applying for a job.

I discovered that I loved working outside and learning more about the natural environment around me. I remember spending sweltering Texas summers in Corpus Christi, Port Aransas, and South Padre Island where I fished, camped, and swam with my family. When I was a kid, the Corpus Christi Aquarium was my favorite place to visit, because I was able to touch live sting rays, learn about the communication methods of dolphins, and identify types of sea shells. I came across a listing for the Senior Marine Educator position at Save the Harbor, Save the Bay on Idealist, and I knew it was the job for me. Although the Boston Harbor is a little different than the Gulf of Mexico (the water is so cold!), I am really excited to explore the beaches and learn from all of the talented staff at Save the Harbor, Save the Bay.

Have a wonderful 4th of July, and see y'all by the water,
Iris Ayala

 

Give me that fillet of fish

Yesterday, Save the Harbor/Save the Bay's Senior Marine Educators joined Bruce Berman and our 2013 Junior Program Assistants for a day of fish, fun and sun as part of our staff training week. We started the morning at the Bank of America Pavilion getting to know each other with introductions and a fun-fact ice breaker, thanks to Sarah Chang.

Then we headed outside, overlooking the harbor, to learn how to fillet a giant striped bass that Bruce had caught just the day before.

A beautiful striped bass

We checked out the scales and and the different parts of the fish before Bruce started filleting. A few brave souls tried their hand at filleting as well as soon enough we had 2 big fillets. 

Sarah cuts into the fish, being careful to avoid the spine. 

Filleting the fish

Bruce put some of the fish in a cup with lime juice and ginger and left the fish to cook in the acid--a classic ceviche preparation. We then continued to dissect the fish and learned about its gills, its stomach, its heart and more. It was a little gross and a lot interesting! Finally we got to eat the fish in two preparations: ceviche and sashimi with soy sauce, pickled ginger and wasabi. The fish couldn't have been any fresher!

Sashimi striped bass and ceviche

The whole group at the Bank of America Pavilion 

After this, we walked over to the aquarium and took a short board ride over to George's Island. With David Coffin, our Boston Harbor historian, we got to explore Fort Warren and the island, and imagined what this island would be like on a day with an All Access Boston Harbor trip full of kids. David led us through the dark passages of the fort, told us stories and tricks of the trade--which you can find out if you go on one of our All Access trips! 

Going into Fort Warren

On top of the fort, overlooking the harbor

David Coffin is a great guide and explorer

David challenged us to do something new today and we accomplished that. In the bakery of the fort, we found a giant oven and our smallest member, Bridget, got inside to see if she would fit! 

I hear baked Bridget is delicious

Finally, we ended the day on the beach. We skipped rocks, learned about crabs and starfish, and threw our "Simply Marble-ous" Treasure Hunt marbles into the water. It was a beautiful day and everyone had lots of fun. This is gong to be a great summer!

Exploring the beach on George's Island

--Rachel Frenkil

Communications and Events Summer Intern

Back in Blue at Save the Harbor!

Summer 2013 has officially begun!  This week marks the beginning of Save the Harbor/Save the Bay's youth programs, with training around Boston Harbor for both new and returning staffers.

My name is Carolyn Burkett and this will be my fourth summer here at STH/STB -- after an eventful school year, I'm so excited to be back in Boston and am ready for lots of fish, Frisbees and fun!  For newcomers to this blog, I have lived in Swampscott, Massachusetts my whole life but have been traveling back and forth between Beantown and Winston-Salem, North Carolina for the past few years to go to school.  This fall I will start my senior year at Wake Forest University (Go Deacs!).  This past fall semester I was even farther away from home -- I spent four months living and working in Paris for my study abroad and it was incredible!  I'd go back in a heartbeat.

Not a bad view on the way to work every day!

My goal for this summer is to have an absolute blast on All Access.  I'm super excited about working with the crew of the Provincetown II for a second year in a row and can't wait to get out to the Islands again.  Our first trip to Georges Island is July 9th -- hopefully we'll have some more sightings of the Lady in Black while exploring Fort Warren.  Maybe we'll even be able to get a picture...

This summer a new part of my job at Save the Harbor is in the office instead of on one of our eight sites.  I've been helping to book trips for All Access and communicating with the different groups that we partner with to provide thousands of children with a day on the Harbor Islands they will never forget.  It's been really interesting to work with groups before they arrive at the Bank of America Pavilion for their trip, and hopefully we'll be taking even more Boston kids out on the Harbor with us this year!

Looks like summer fun with Save the Harbor and the East Boston YMCA!

Stay tuned to hear more about our great programs and the fantastic kids we'll be exploring the Harbor with this summer!

-- Carolyn

Numero Uno Blog Post Of The Year!

Hey everyone! It's Thi Tran again, on my fifth summer here at Save The Harbor/Save The Bay. Time really does fly by when you're having fun. As an uprising sophomore at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, I'm so excited to be back by our beloved Boston Harbor instead of being surrounded by cows, fields, and farms up in western Mass. I went right to the beach to play some volleyball as soon as I settled back into my abode by the ocean.

Back on Wollaston Beach in Quincy as soon as my summer started!

Already this past week, I have been able to swing by most of our sites around the Harbor and even filleted a part of a fluke! (If you don't know the difference between a flounder or a fluke, just ask Sarah Bailey). The Senior Marine Educators and the rest of the senior staff, including me, battled through the rain and downpours to get all of our training in from Quincy to Charlestown to East Boston to prepare ourselves for a great summer!

Happy group picture on a misty day at Camp Harbor View

I am so excited to be back to re-explore the Harbor Islands and do something everyday that I haven't done before. I'll be mostly on the All Access trips, so you'll most likely find me searching my way out of Fort Warren on George's Island or picking up spectacular treasures (such as pieces of pottery, beach glass, little heads and limbs of ceramic dolls) that can teach us all about the history of our harbor.
Hope to see you all soon and I can't wait for this summer to officially start!


All the best,
Thi Tran

P.S. look out for my next blog post on a great recipe for those pesky periwinkles!!!
And if you don't know what they look like, here you go!

PERIWINKLES GALORE

Warming Up For Summer

A little yoga warm-up in East Boston

Greetings from Sarah Bailey!

Save the Harbor/Save the Bay's Senior Marine Educators think that there is no better way to celebrate a beautiful, rain free day then visiting some fantastic beaches in East Boston!
After spending some time working in the office the Senior Marine Educators and All Access staffers enjoyed a site visit to East Boston by stretching out and doing some yoga to greet the sun and gear up for summer.

 After meeting the fantastic crew at Piers Park Sailing Center, we headed on down to Constitution Beach! A fun day was had by all as we excitedly talked about what the summer would offer! From meeting new kids and teaching the importance of the conservation of Boston Harbor, it was clear to us that we had quite a summer in front of us. As the training week comes to a close we are all giddy with anticipation for our first day out on the job with the kids! We hope to see you (as well as the sun!) out there with us this summer, learning, exploring, and most importantly, having fun!

See you soon - on a beach, an island or a dock near you!

Sarah Bailey

Ready to dive into summer!

         Greetings, followers of Sand, Sea and Sky. My name is Thomas Rebula, and I will be joining the Save The Harbor/ Save The Bay team this summer as a Senior Marine Educator.

A rainbow always makes me smile.

Born in Massachusetts, I have always held a deep love for wildlife and the outdoors, spending most of my time as a youth exploring the woods, fields, rivers and beaches of New England. Many of my summers were spent in environmental education programs similar to the one that I now have the privileged to help lead. 

This time spent in, and learning about, the outdoors had a profound impact on me, putting the dream of becoming a biologist into my mind at a young age. I have since gone on to receive a degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from The University of Colorado at Boulder. Working with Save The Harbor/ Save The Bay this summer will provide a unique opportunity for me to apply both my education and passion, and I am thrilled that I will be able to introduce youngsters to Boston Harbor. Most importantly I will have the opportunity to help foster the same kind of excitement for the outdoors that has guided me throughout my life.

Work here for me began in the office two weeks ago, getting our youth room in order and restocking our inventory for the upcoming kickoff of our youth program. Based on the items that I have purchased, and the exceptional talents of the other Senior Marine Educators, I can tell that the kids participating in the program are going to have an amazing summer. I cant wait to begin making a difference in the lives of some young explorers.