CARIBBEAN BOTTLING COMPANY ( COCA COLA ) AND DOLPHIN ENCOUNTERS TEAM UP TO OFFER STUDENTS BAHAMAS MARINE WILDLIFE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
300 Urban Renewal Program Participants Learn About Marine Conservation
BLUE LAGOON ISLAND, BAHAMAS
Caribbean Bottling Company (Coca Cola) and Dolphin Encounters Team Up
Caribbean Bottling Company/Coca Cola’s generous sponsorship provides 300 children participating in the Urban Renewal Program the opportunity to learn about their marine environment by participating in an educational Reef Rangers program at Dolphin Encounters on Blue Lagoon Island this summer. (L-R) Ranaldo Smith, Education Supervisor, Dolphin Encounters; Michelle Lewis, Marketing Manager, Caribbean Bottling Company (Coca Cola) and Annette Dempsey, Director of Education, Dolphin Encounters.
Caribbean Bottling Company, the producers of Coca Cola products in The Bahamas, has sponsored 300 children enrolled in Urban Renewal Programs throughout New Providence the opportunity to learn about their marine environment and Bahamas wildlife by participating in an educational Reef Rangers program at Dolphin Encounters on Blue Lagoon Island this summer. The generous sponsorship is part of Coca Cola International’s ‘Live Positively’ campaign, which the Caribbean Bottling Company represents in The Bahamas.
“The ‘Live Positively’ campaign is our commitment to making a positive difference in our communities by redesigning the way we work and live so that sustainability is part of everything we do - forever,” said Michelle Lewis, Marketing Manager for the Caribbean Bottling Company. “Our company believes in the power of community and that the environment is our most precious asset and we must all work together to keep it beautiful. Providing children with the opportunity to participate in Dolphin Encounters – Project BEACH’s leading marine educational program was one opportunity to positively affect our community and our environment.”
Visiting from Urban Renewal Programs from several communities throughout the island, the children will begin their adventure in a private orientation, learning about Bahamas wildlife including marine mammals, conservation and the preservation of our ocean habitat. Each child will then have opportunity to meet and interact face-to-face, as well as swim with the Atlantic Bottlenose dolphin family at Dolphin Encounters and stop over at the Sea Lab to see their team of California sea lions. To celebrate their success with the animals, at the end of the program each youngster will also receive a marine activity booklet, a conservation keytag with a photo of themselves a dolphin and the top five conservation actions on the back, a custom backpack, a healthy snack and drink, and one of the “Live Positively” stickers or “Keep The Bahamas Clean” buttons.
Sponsoring the Reef Rangers program for the Urban Renewal participants is one part of The Caribbean Bottling Company’s “Live Positively” campaign. The company has also placed 37 waste containers at parks and recreational areas throughout Nassau to help fight trash in our community. They will also be the key sponsor of International Coastal Clean Up day hosted by Dolphin Encounters on September 19th.
“The Urban Renewal Program and the Caribbean Bottling Company have for several years joined Dolphin Encounters by participating in important conservation programs including International Coastal Clean Up Day ( of which Coca Cola is a sponsor), and the Beach Buddies beach clean up program. The Urban Renewal Program has sent more than 800 kids to participate in our Reef Ranger program in the past two years to learn about marine conservation,” said Annette Dempsey, Director of Education at Dolphin Encounters, “Both organizations share our commitment to the environment. Caribbean Bottling Company’s sponsorship has allowed hundreds of children, that may never have had the opportunity otherwise, be immersed in an educational program that teaches the importance of preserving and protecting our marine environment and we are happy to partner with them.”
“We are very appreciative to the Caribbean Bottling Company for the generous sponsorship of our children,” said Kolamae Pedican of the Kemp Road Urban Renewal Program. “The Reef Ranger program at Dolphin Encounters has been the highlight of our camps. The kids look forward to swimming with the dolphins and participating in the educational activities every year. This has been a very hard year for the parents of many of our children. They have lost jobs, or their hours have been cut and they simply do not have the extra money. This sponsorship has made it possible for hundreds of children to participate and we are grateful.”
“Education is the key to sustainability. It is our company’s pleasure to sponsor the children of the Urban Renewal Program,” added Ms. Lewis. “Together with Dolphin Encounters we will teach children the direct impact that the health of our marine life via an awareness campaign that focuses on the park’s beloved marine mammal family.”
Groups of children will participate in the program for several weeks beginning in July and ending in August.
“The kids have an incredible time meeting and learning about dolphins and the environment in which they live,” said Ranaldo Smith, Education Supervisor at Dolphin Encounters. “This has been a collaborative effort and the result is incredibly rewarding. Watching children learn about their native marine species by being immersed literally in our ocean environment makes a lasting impression that they carry for a lifetime.”
Dolphin Encounters – Project B.E.A.C.H., a non-profit element of the Dolphin Encounters facility located on Blue Lagoon Island, was developed to provide unique opportunities to Bahamian students and teachers for marine education and appreciation. Their education programs provide unique opportunities for Bahamas wildlife and marine education. The programs --- Beach Buddies, Marine Resource Seminar, Dolphin Adventure, Sea Lab, Sea Camp, Ocean Odyssey Camp, Aqua Explorers Camp, Student Internship Camp, Ocean Puppet Pals, Marine Assembly Program, Reef Rangers, and Project Green ---- have the full support of the following agencies: BREEF, The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, The Bahamas Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, The Nature Conservancy, Bahamas Ministry of Education and The Bahamas National Pride Association.
The non-profit Dolphin Encounters – Project B.E.A.C.H. programs are supported by donations of corporations and private citizens. To sponsor a program or to make a donation, please call Annette Dempsey at 242/394-2200. For more information about Dolphin Encounters please visit www.dolphinencounters.com or become a fan on Facebook.
