Bay Area Boys and Girls Club members set sail on the adventure of a lifetime
CLEARWATER, Fla. - A partnership between the Clearwater Yacht Club and the Boys and Girls Club Suncoast gave children the opportunity to explore the Bay Area in ways they never thought possible.
The two organizations recently held the first round of field trips with a venture to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium.
"A lot of these kids come here, they don't know," explained Karen Malo, CMA Inspire Team Coordinator. "They haven't been to the aquarium. They've never been on a boat. We're going out on a boat today. So my goal is to inspire the next generation."
The kids were in awe. Malo patiently answered every question, explaining it in a way they could understand. They all loved learning all there was to learn.
This is the first in a series of field trips.
They saw Ricky the pelican star from Dolphin Tale. They met Cheetoh the seahorse, and stingrays and saw all the ways they are saving sea turtles.
READ: CMA dolphin death investigations finds staff did nothing wrong
"This is a great opportunity for them to get out and experience something they've never experienced before and will probably remember the rest of their life," said Jim Coats, former sheriff and Boys and Girls Club board member.
The children enjoyed exploring the aquarium and pretending to surf.
For ten-year-old Christopher, the best part was the sharks.
"It was a big shark! It had teeth like hanging down! And it had whiskers. It looked like a catfish!" he said.
The group also set sail on the open water.
"They're going to take a pontoon boat," Coats explained. "The CMA is going to use their boat to transport them over by water to the Clearwater Yacht Club where they are going to host a cookout for them."
The children were excited to get aboard Nicholas' Journey.
The pontoon is called Nicholas's Journey. So when Nicholas shot them a little smile from his dolphin tank and all that rain gave way, the kids knew things were looking up.
"You get them out in nature,’ Malo said. "You get them out on a boat and they just light up. Kids naturally relate to animals. They're a great motivator for our kids and I feel like sometimes just connecting them, with another life force or whatever you want to call it, helps them get through whatever life challenges they might have."
Malo used to bring her kids from The Boys and Girls Club there on field trips so now that she's on the aquarium side of things, it's even more special.
READ: Clearwater Marine Aquarium announces passing of Hemingway the dolphin
"I've done it for a long time. Kids have always had my heart this place has always had my heart so I put them both together. I feel like this is where I belong," she said laughing.
The kids set sail on a pontoon boat.
The groups spotted trash in the water while they were on the way to the Clearwater Yacht Club. So they stopped the boat and got it out to which all the kids cheered.
The group was a little bored waiting out the no-wake zone. But when they cleared it, the boat opened up and they were flying across the water. They were cheering and looking around at all the beauty around them.
"I'm so happy!" said nine-year-old Tyra.
Field trip attendees met one of the stars of Dolphin Tale.
"We're here! We're here!" they cheered as they pulled into the dock at the yacht club.
When they finally go to sleep tonight, hopefully, they'll have a moment to remember the rest of their lives.