Meet Our Members: Lesley Argiri and
L’Anse Creuse High School Students
They go the distance for manatees
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| On your mark! Participants gear up for the 5th annual Save the Manatee 5k Run/Walk hosted by L’Anse Creuse High School. (Photo courtesy Lesley Argiri) |
Many people love manatees, but not everyone is willing to go the distance to see them protected. Lesley Argiri and her students are the exception to the rule.
Each year, the biology teacher at L’Anse Creuse High School in Harrison Township, MI, and her students hold the Save the Manatee 5K Run, 2 Mile Fun Walk. All proceeds from the event are donated to Save the Manatee Club for manatee conservation and education programs. This year marked the 5th anniversary of the Save the Manatee Run/Walk event, and Argiri reached her goal of raising a total of over $25,000 for the Club.
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| Something for everyone: Both runners and walkers take part in the 5k event. (Photo courtesy Lesley Argiri) |
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“I love this event,“ says Argiri. “It keeps me going all year. People used to say, why do this? There aren’t any manatees in Michigan. That actually motivated me all the more to teach others about manatees, the many problems they face, and how all of us – no matter where we live – can get involved and help them.”
Argiri’s passion for protecting manatees evolved from family trips to Florida ever since she was young. “Hearing about the decline in the manatee population really bothered me, and I was determined to think of a way to help them,” she said. Along with her husband, Argiri is a runner, and that’s what inspired the idea of sponsoring a 5K race in her community to help raise money for the endangered species. “As a biology teacher, I thought I could get students, teachers, and parents involved in the project,” she explained.
Argiri and her students are totally responsible for organizing and coordinating the annual event, and they plan well in advance to make sure the event is a success. They hold numerous fundraisers throughout the months leading up to race day, including bottle collections, candy sales, and car washes. At the race event, held at the Detroit area Metro Huron-Clinton Metropark, student volunteers staff the registration table at the race and hand out gifts and prizes donated by Save the Manatee Club and community businesses. Argiri and her students also get T-shirts, trophies, and medals made. “Every year we do something a little better,” explains Argiri. “This year, we had manatee medals in gold, silver, and bronze, and I even had several alumni volunteers.”
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(Above) Student volunteers staff the registration table at each race. (Below) The race medal, T-shirt, and numbers provided by Argiri and her students. (Photos courtesy Lesley Argiri)
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Starting with 150 participants in 2004, Argiri and her students were able to send $3,000 to Save the Manatee Club. This year, nearly 500 people set off at the mark at this year’s event and Argiri plans to send a check for $8,500. “I am so proud of our efforts!” she says.
So is Save the Manatee Club. “Lesley’s boundless energy and dedication to manatees is truly inspiring,” says Patrick Rose, Executive Director of Save the Manatee Club. “Over the years, she and her students have helped educate many people about manatees, and their continued support is instrumental to our manatee education and conservation efforts.”
Recently named as one of Macomb County’s top 50 volunteers, Argiri is delighted with the success of the race event. “I never thought the event would become this popular, but I’m glad it did,” says Argiri. “I always thought, and still do, that manatees were the most gentle, cute, harmless, and playful animal and that I need to do something to try to help them. A lot of my students have jumped on board with this cause, and I had several alumni volunteer at this last race. I’m hoping that I have made Michiganders aware of the importance of saving these animals.”
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Student "manatees" are on hand to welcome the race participants as they cross the finish line.
(Photo courtesy Lesley Argiri) |
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Jemp is the manatee adopted by Lesley Argiri. Jemp was rescued after being exposed to red tide. Tracked by researchers for several years, he is known to frequent the Sarasota and Lemon Bay areas, but he also travels in a wide range along Florida's west coast.
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