You see, back when Scott and I were researching our trip, I was SO excited to get to go on a whale watching excursion. I saw LOTS of websites that offered the opportunity, but PWF is more than just a tourist trap- it’s a non-profit research foundation that gives back to the Maui community at every opportunity. Their email today was telling me about an initiative they have: No Child Left Indoors.
Since 1980, Pacific Whale Foundation's education team has offered quality, age-appropriate field trips and marine education programs to children in grades K - 12. They include educational whale watches, tide pool explorations, beach clean-ups and marine debris monitoring programs, career mentoring, community service programs, ocean-themed lab experiments...and more. Several years ago, Pacific Whale Foundation established our "No Child Left Indoors" fund to assist students whose parents are economically disadvantaged and unable to pay for their child to participate in field trips.
As a grown-up, seeing whales as close as we did was an awesome experience- I can’t imagine what it would be like as a kid. Lucky for me, PWF accepts modest donations- if you’re interested in helping out, here’s a link to the No Child Left Indoors website.
Here’s a little reminder of how much FUN these boat trips can be! The first pic is Scott and I on the boat, while the second pic is a “flying pickle” (breaching baby whale) we were lucky enough to see!!
