Support Bonaire, Inc. Donates Funds For Boat Safety Equipment

BONAIRE, N.A. & NORFOLK, VA, USA – December 8, 2003 – Support Bonaire, Inc., a U.S. non-profit organization created to help support Bonaire’s non-profit social and environmental efforts, has donated funds in the amount of US$610 to the Bonaire National Marine Park (BNMP) to purchase a variety of boat safety equipment, including life vests, a fire extinguishers, first aid kits, and visual distress signals.

These safety items will also be used in conjunction with the BNMP’s marine environmental educational programs for the children of Bonaire, where boats are in regular use. The first such program is called 'Turtuganan di Boneiru' (Turtles of Bonaire), and consists of indoor and outdoor activities for primary school children from Skol di Barios, whjch are the after-school programs at Bonaire’s elementary schools. The outdoor activities include snorkeling lessons and learning about Bonaire’s aquatic life. The other program, the Junior Ranger Program, is a joint program with the Jong Bonaire youth center, and focuses educating secondary school children. The Junior Ranger Program provides adolescents with basically the same course an assistant ranger of BNMP needs to go through before becoming a ranger. It involves diving, mechanics, computer use, nature and environmental education, presentation, etc.

Last week, to provide future support to the BNMP’s education programs, Support Bonaire also initiated a Marine Park Education Project, to which anyone can donate money to via credit card via Support Bonaire’s Web site at http://www.SupportBonaire.org. U.S. taxpayers get the additional benefit of being able to claim such donations to Support Bonaire as a tax deduction, as Support Bonaire is an IRS-approved non-profit public charity. Thanks to a generous grant from the Tom Bartikoski Memorial Fund, Support Bonaire’s operating expenses for the next three years have been funded, which means that 100% of the donations to Support Bonaire’s funding projects, like the Marine Park Education Project, gets applied to support the project. The Marine Park Education Park Project joins several other funding projected started by Support Bonaire: the Animal Shelter Project, the Bonaire Coral Health Project, the Donkey Sanctuary Project, the Klein Bonaire Preservation Project, and the Maria Hoppner Foster Home Project.

“We thank Support Bonaire Inc. for their important support and the interest and involvement they show in investing in the conservation of Bonaire’s invaluable beauty and heritage.”, stated Maarten Schuit, manager of the Bonaire National Marine Park.

The Bonaire National Marine Park is the entity responsible for the management of all waters surrounding Bonaire and Klein Bonaire from the high water mark to 200 feet depth. The BNMP believes in conservation through sustainable use, and believes that nature and environmental education is one of the most important tools to ensure sustainable use. The BNMP can be reached at +599-7-178444 or manager@bmp.org.

Support Bonaire, Inc. is an organization dedicated to helping fund non-profit environmental and social projects on the Dutch Caribbean island of Bonaire, by being a U.S. Internal Revenue Service-approved non-profit organization, which in turn allows donors to take a tax deduction on funds they donate to Support Bonaire, Inc. Support Bonaire, Inc.’s virtual offices can be found at http://www.SupportBonaire.org, and an on-line discussion group for the organization is located at http://www.BonaireTalk.com/sbi. The organization’s mailing address for monetary donations and other paper correspondence is 109 E. Main Street, Suite 400, Norfolk, Virginia 23510-1647, U.S.A. Voice mail can be left at +1-703-783-1314, and FAXes can be sent to +1-703-783-1315. Contact via e-mail is preferred, at info@SupportBonaire.org.

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Maarten Schuit, manager of the Bonaire National Marine Park, receives a donation from Support Bonaire, Inc. president Jake Richter, on one of the Park’s boats. The donation will purchase children’s life vests and other important safety equipment to aid the Marine Park in its education of island children.

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