Our health is intimately tied to that of our planet, and donating to charities and organizations that conserve, protect, and improve the quality of our oceans and beaches and the
creatures that live in them has been part of our business plan from day one.
Beachside Community Acupuncture may be located in landlocked Dallas, Texas, but the coast and sea will always be in our heart. Every quarter we choose a nonprofit that focuses on marine "health"
and donate 10% of our profits to their cause. Read about whom we've supported below - more information can be found on their linked websites - and consider giving to them as well!
Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience is a research center within Kathleen's alma mater, the
University of Florida. Located in St. Augustine, Florida, the lab focuses on a variety of scientific areas, such as biodiversity, ocean health, and marine chemistry, and develops programs for
research, education, and environmental rehabilitation.
The Whitney Lab's Sea Turtle Hospital has provided rehabilitation, education, and research for sea turtle
conservation in northeast Florida since 2015. Injured and debilitated sea turtles receive treatment and are released back to their natural habitats once they are cleared by a veterinarian,
and researchers have been studying the virus that creates lesions on turtles as well as other factors that influence them. Open to school groups and the general public, the hospital also aims to
promote awareness of the plight of the sea turtle to encourage change.
One of the Whitney Lab's programs, the Oyster Restoration Initiative aims to educate citizen scientists,
advance the understanding of oyster ecology, and restore local oyster reef terrains in Florida's coastal ecosystem. Volunteers and staff create eco-friendly Community Oyster Reef Enhancement
(CORE) modules to replenish habitats, prevent shoreline erosion, and promote biological diversity, and citizen science oyster gardeners grow oysters and collect environmental data like water
temperature, salinity, and water clarity for Whitney Laboratory research.
The largest coral reef restoration organization in the world, the Coral Restoration
Foundation was founded in response to the widespread decline in coral reefs in the Florida Keys. The CRF aims to restore the genetic diversity of wild coral populations by
growing a variety of species in nurseries and returning tens of thousands of corals back to the ocean each year.
The Ocean Cleanup creates and dispatches marine vehicles to collect plastics from waterways, most
notably chipping away at the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, an island of large debris that breaks down into microplastics and impacts sea life. They constantly research and develop new
technology with the goal of removing 90% of floating ocean plastic by 2040.
Located in Kathleen's hometown of Boca Raton, Florida, Gumbo Limbo
has been integral in the protection and rehabilitation of sea turtles and other marine wildlife in South Florida since the 1970's. Additionally, the Gumbo Limbo facility serves as a museum with
exhibits on conservation for the public and sponsors scholarships for students who intend to study marine biology.
Hurricanes are one of the biggest threats to those living in tropical areas, and the Red Cross helps communities prepare for and recover from these natural disasters by stocking supplies,
establishing shelters, and providing food and medicine.
The Ocean Defenders Alliance removes debris from coastal waters and shorelines in California
and Hawaii, utilizing all-volunteer boat and dive crews. This 501(c)(3) also gives presentations to educate school children, business and civic groups, and dive club members in line with their
mission of "work[ing] toward clean, healthy marine ecosystems through documentation, education, technology, improvements, and meaningful action".
The seahorse is facing extinction from habitat destruction and overfishing for the pet and medicine trades, but the Seahorse Hawaii Foundation promotes the conservation, education, research, and propagation of this unique creature through its facilities and
displays at Ocean Rider Seahorse Ranch in Hawaii.
With the mission of "seek[ing] to make our oceans as rich, healthy, and abundant as they once were," Oceana is the
largest international advocacy organization focused solely on ocean conservation. Their offices around the world work together to make oceans more bio-diverse by winning policy victories in the
countries that govern much of the world's marine life, sharing the photographs, studies, and experiences that they bring before policymakers with the public to raise awareness at the grassroots
level as well.
Ocean Conservancy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit working to protect the ocean from today's
greatest global challenges. With initiatives like their International Coastal Cleanup, Ocean Conservancy removes more than 20 million pounds of trash from beaches and waterways each year to
pursue their vision of a healthy ocean free of debris. They also fund oceanographic research, lobby for marine health in Congress, and work internationally for maritime regulations.
