Big Gifts for Best Dads, Everywhere!
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A big manatee fan from England, Stuart Bean (middle), receives a manatee gift adoption each year for Father’s Day from his family (l-r) Alex, Rachel, Simon, Katherine, and Michael. (Photo by Joyce Bean.)
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For further information, contact:
Janice Nearing,
Director of Public Relations
Save the Manatee Club
Phone: (407) 539-0990
E-mail: jnearing@savethemanatee.org
For Immediate Release
Note: A high resolution jpeg (300 dpi) of a manatee image, as well as a photo of Katherine Reeve and her dad and family, are available upon request.
Shopping for a distinctive Father’s Day gift that stands out from the norm? Save the Manatee Club suggests an affordable manatee gift adoption for $25 that includes a color photo of a real Florida manatee, an adoption certificate, biography, membership handbook, and subscriptions to the Club’s newsletters. Shipping is free within the United States.
“My sister and I and our children have adopted a different manatee for the last few years as a Father’s Day gift,” said Katherine Reeve who lives close to her father, Stuart Bean, in the county of North Yorkshire in England. “We decided on this gift because the funds help manatees, and also because our dad is totally mad about manatees! When we first visited Florida in 2000, all dad wanted to see was a manatee, and he’s been talking about how fantastic manatees are ever since. As a result of his keen interest, the whole family is interested, too.”
There are now 37 real living manatees with known histories to select from in Save the Manatee Club’s adoption program. Photos of each can be viewed on the Club’s website. Recently, Squeaky, Rocket, and Annie were added to the adoption program at Blue Spring State Park in Orange City, Florida. This Father’s Day, each new member who joins the Adopt-A-Manatee® program for a $35 tax-deductible donation, will also receive the new 2012 Club T-shirt featuring a fun, tropical design by renowned wildlife artist Nancy Blauers.
Claire O’Donnell from Seattle, Washington adopted a manatee for her dad, Bob O’Donnell, who, like Katherine’s father, also lives in the UK. “My brother and I adopted a manatee for Father’s Day last year because like most dads he can be difficult to buy for,” said Claire. “We liked the idea of a manatee as a gift – we felt it was unusual, and it would also help protect the species. I’m a big supporter of the conservation work Save the Manatee Club is doing, and I feel that if we can save even one manatee, it’s a worthwhile investment.”
Manatees are Florida’s official state marine mammal and they’re listed as endangered at the state, federal, and international levels. Save the Manatee Club, a Florida-based international nonprofit manatee conservation organization, was founded 31 years ago by singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffett and former Florida Governor and U.S. Senator Bob Graham to help protect the state’s endangered marine mammals. Funds from the adoption program will help fund manatee rescue, rehabilitation, and release efforts; research; education and public awareness projects; conservation work to protect manatees and their habitat; and programs in the United States, Central and South America, the Wider Caribbean, and West Africa.”
“Just as the life of each individual manatee is of utmost importance to the overall health and welfare of the manatee population, we are ever-thankful for the Club’s compassionate and outstanding supporters who are essential to our ability to make a vital difference in the lives of our beloved manatees,” said Patrick Rose, aquatic biologist and Executive Director of Save the Manatee Club.
For more information about manatees, and to adopt one for Father’s Day, contact Save the Manatee Club at 500 N. Maitland Ave., Maitland, FL 32751, call 1-800-432-JOIN (5646), or visit the adoption page of the web site.
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