Australia-born Cecily Kelly fell in love with scuba diving at age 12. Determined to build a career in diving in order to share her love of the ocean with others, she found the perfect opportunity when her husband joined the marines and they relocated to the United States. Stationed at the Camp Pendleton marine base on the southern California coast, Cecily discovered the base’s scuba diving center where she was able to start her career in the diving industry by helping with facilitating dive classes and overseeing operations.

At the Camp Pendleton Scuba Center, Cecily began implementing conservation principles into scuba diving classes alongside other environmentally conscious dive leaders. She encouraged her students to utilize reusable and recyclable materials as often as possible, and hosted roadway cleanups twice each month to ensure that litter from the Pacific Coast Highway didn’t make its way into nearby coastal waters. With each action, she felt more empowered to fight for ocean protection.

When a friend introduced Cecily to Project AWARE, she was moved by the cause. “The ocean is such a huge habitat for some of the most amazing creatures on earth! As humans, we must coexist with the environment. We must cherish it.” Motivated by her love of the ocean and its inhabitants, Cecily became a Project AWARE advocate to raise awareness for two ocean issues that tugged at her heartstrings – protecting sea creatures and tackling the issue of marine debris. Her first major advocacy event for Project AWARE was a Finathon fundraiser coordinated through the Camp Pendleton Scuba Center in 2014, during which participants swam a mile each to raise money for shark protection. After a successful fundraiser, she was compelled to expand her efforts by creating a larger event that could bring in more community members.

To celebrate Earth Day 2015, Cecily coordinated an event that combined a Project AWARE Dive Against Debris Specialty course, underwater debris removal and survey, onshore cleanup, and beach celebration – all with a fundraising twist! She strategically organized the event in a location that would receive lots of foot traffic, and included activities that everyone would enjoy – divers and non-divers alike. Eleven students participated in the Dive Against Debris specialty course, conducting Dive Against Debris underwater debris removal and report of litter found in the waters near Laguna Beach in southern California. While divers volunteered out in the water, additional guests cleaned up litter on the beach. Afterward, all gathered in celebration for beach games and an afternoon barbeque. The event raised generous funds through its Dive Against Debris specialty course and guest donations, in support of Project AWARE’s shark and ray conservation work and marine debris program.

By opening the event up to both scuba divers and non-diving ocean enthusiasts, Cecily was able to bring the larger community together to share ocean conservation principles and spread awareness to a wider audience. She believes that everyone has the capacity to make a difference and that every step taken for ocean conservation, no matter how small, has the power to make a positive impact.

Want to use your creativity to host a unique event and raise funds for ocean issues? Go to www.projectaware.org/fundraise to get started on your rewarding fundraising journey.