THANK YOU!
Your interest and support ensured Monterey County Gives! had a record breaking year. Together, we empower our local nonprofit community
to be its best. Thank you!
-The Monterey County Gives! team.
Founder Jack O’Neill said: “The ocean is alive, and we have got to take care of it!”. OSO provides a free ocean education that encourages the protection and preservation of our living seas and communities. Reaching students at a critical point in their development, to increase civic engagement, scientific curiosity and to improve the ecology of our ocean ecosystem.
O’Neill Sea Odyssey (OSO)– an educational adventure onboard a sailing classroom like none other. OSO provides youth with marine education at a critical point in their educational and personal development. Time outdoors improves a student’s mental and physical health, academic performance and strengthens relationships among peers and the environment. Our ocean plays a fundamental role in mitigating climate change by serving as major source of carbon, and helping to regulate weather patterns. OSO provides students with a multi-sensory opportunity to connect with our ocean ecosystem. Our McGives campaign will raise funds to support four Southern Monterey County classes and eliminate financial barriers including transportation and access. The multi-phased project provides classroom curriculum, a field trip onboard our 65-foot catamaran and support to apply the lessons learned with a community service project. OSO curriculum builds on education standards and best practices to create an environmentally aware and civically engaged youth.
The team that we worked with were some of the best educators out there. They took complex concepts like navigation, marine biology, and environmental stewardship and made them real and tangible for our class. But more than that, they honored the excitement and wonder that each child experienced aboard the boat. The students developed relationships and strengthened friendships with each other in ways that only a once in a lifetime experience can foster. As the boat sailed back into the harbor, the class spontaneously collapsed into a group hug. It was absolutely incredible to see how much this experience meant to my class. None of this would have been possible without the funding provided. This experience inspires a young person to see a world beyond their own backyard; big dreams were created on that day for a group of small-town kids.
- Cristin McKee