Don’t miss your chance to have your buddy dive for free at Matava – Fiji’s Premier Eco Adventure Resort during the whole month of January 2011 and see the mantas on the Great Astrolabe Reef.Deep Blue Adventures will utilize Good Will Diving to highlight one specific cause for a set time each year to maximize the opportunities to help while also taking part in other charities. Right now Good Will Diving is putting a call out to all charities and foundations to suggest their own causes for the program as well as any individuals or dive stores. Cheryl Patterson of Deep Blue Adventures says that the program was created to serve. "Divers are a very community-oriented group of people and we often have many clients asking what they can do to help," says Patterson. "Sometimes it is the form of taking school supplies or other much needed items to a place they are visiting, other times it is looking to offer aid during a disaster or making a financial contribution. We have always provided this information whenever it has been requested, but we wanted more people to know they have a reliable contact point."
November is the official beginning of Good Will Diving. This first cause they are tackling is the need for eye glasses for Fijian Villagers. Patterson says that it is a way of giving back to some of the places that divers enjoy so much. "As divers and travelers we experience many wonderful aspects of the countries we visit," Patterson explains. "We often fall in love with the surroundings, the food, the culture and, of course, what we find there beneath the surface. More often than not, the people are what touches us the most and deepens our experiences. We felt that highlighting a need of some of the warmest people we have ever met in one of our top-selling destinations would be an appropriate place to start." Good Will Diving is not requesting money for this effort but instead– used or old reading eye glasses. "Kids and teens can be just as involved as adults and no one has to dig deep in their pockets – that's part of what Good Will Diving is all about," says Patterson. Patterson goes on to point out that while foundations often need financial support, and they won't turn that down, folks can also often make a huge difference in someone's lives without any cost.
One of the reasons Deep Blue Adventures chose the Fiji effort was because one of the team members had a personal connection. Terri Huber, Senior Sales Representative with Deep Blue Adventures felt a connection with the Fijian people. "One night, during a recent trip to Fiji, I was chatting after dinner with another guest and Matava resort owner, Richard Akhtar," says Huber. "During our conversation, the subject of the needs of the Fijian Villagers came up and Richard immediately responded without hesitation, eye glasses. Having traveled to many remote diving destinations around the world and being welcomed and treated graciously by the locals we have thought of a small gesture to say "thank you". We as divers visit and enjoy these far off countries and return home with long lasting memories, photos, and souvenirs. So, why not give back a little to help out the remote villages of Fiji?"
The glasses will be distributed to various villages in need across the country. Matava Resort on Kadavu who operates the Matava Foundation has agreed to assist Deep Blue Adventures in their first Good Will Diving venture in getting the glasses to those that need it most.
At DEMA this year Deep Blue Adventures collected glasses to send. Anyone who didn't attend DEMA can still contribute to this effort by mailing in reading glasses, and Deep Blue Adventures is willing to absorb the postage costs involved if a donor emails
GoodWillDiving@deepblueadventures.com or calls 888-266-2209 and requests a self-addressed, postage paid envelope. DBA is encouraging dive stores, clubs, schools, scouts, business and other organizations to consider becoming a collection point for Eyes for Fiji and engaging their local community in an effort on a larger scale. Once the glasses are received any interested donors will be issued a $50 travel voucher as a thank you for their donation. Glasses collected will be sent on a regular and ongoing basis to the islands through the company's various contacts. All vouchers will be distributed electronically due to conservation efforts also being made by the company.
As of today, they have already collected 115 pairs of glasses! For more info visit Deep Blue Adventures' website at www.deepblueadventures.com
 |
| Lorna Young accepting Matava's Award at WTM 2010 |
