About 120 School students, teachers and staff members donned “SAVE THE DOLPHINS” T-shirts on Friday, May 4 as part of a fundraising effort to benefit Ric O’Barry’s Dolphin Project, a campaign under the International Marine Mammal Project at the nonprofit Earth Island Institute in California.
Senior Ty Adams of West Hartford, a student in KO’s Marine Biology course, came up with the idea of having the T-shirt sale. Adams said that after his class watched “The Cove,” an Oscar-winning documentary that exposes how dolphins are slaughtered in Japan, he knew he wanted to help.
“Seeing the dolphins being killed made me want to try to get some money out there to help,” Adams said.
He went on the Dolphin Project Web site (www.dolphinproject.org) with the intention of buying a T-shirt to aid the cause, but he figured that even with the high price tag of $20 or more, only a small percentage would actually go toward the nonprofit’s work. He thought about the possibility of having shirts made locally and selling them for less so more people would buy them – in the long run resulting in more money for the charity.
Marine Biology teacher Lisa Bailey said the drive raised $239, with shirts priced at $10, and Adams said he appreciated the support of everyone involved.
“Mrs. Bailey really helped in terms of ordering, and classmates provided input about the shirts,” Adams said, “It was great that so many people were interested and bought the T-shirts.”
