Thank You for Giving BIG!

Thank you for your generous donation during the recent GiveBig campaign. Because of you, the one-day campaign ended with a total of $24,794, exceeding our goal of $22,000.

Didn't get a chance to donate on the Big Day? You can Donate now and help support kids summer camps today! 

The funds are critical now as we receive camp scholarship requests for families with financial need and as we work toward increasing our capacity to offer camps to more kids. In this time of computer games and screens, getting kids out to the beach to get sandy and wet, is transformative. Your generous donation will change lives. Thank you!

Today is the Day! Take action for kids!

Today is the big day for you to GiveBIG! Thank you for taking action in support of summer camps by helping us raise $22,000 Today!

Now more than ever nonprofit causes need your help. At the Marine Science Center, we are dedicated to getting kids outside this summer to make memories that last a lifetime. 

Your gift will provide scholarships for children who otherwise would not be able to attend because of financial hardship. Donations will also fund the capacity of the Center to offer more camps. Plans are in the works for expanded facilities and more camp offerings. But we need your help!

The GiveBIG campaign ends tonight at midnight so GiveBig Now! Keep following along on Facebook and the PTMSC blog for stories and updates.

Hear From Our Summer Camp Instructors & GiveBig Tomorrow!

Sand, Sun, & Fun!

Just because school is out for the summer doesn’t mean that learning has to stop!  Longer days and lower tides mean more time to spend exploring the beach. At PTMSC we run several weeks of camp each summer, providing hands-on marine science activities for children 3 to 13 years old.

Carolyn guiding students in the Marine Exhibit @ PTMSC

I’ve spent the past three summers working on science camps, including two years at PTMSC. I enjoy the opportunity to spend a week with a group of kids exploring and learning about the marine environment, and it’s especially satisfying to see learning happen while kids are having fun. The ability for both staff and campers to experiment and try new things out is one of my favorite features of our summer camps. Many campers return to us year after year, which is a great opportunity to build on their knowledge and their relationship with the Marine Science Center.

Carolyn presenting science models to summer campers

I’m most looking forward to expanded camp offerings this year, including an additional week of Marine Biology Afoot and Afloat. Many children have already been turned away this year because of full enrollment. Plans are in the works for expanded facilities and more camp offerings. We couldn't do what we do without the amazing work of our Americorps members who are actively involved in the summer camp programs and engage with kids directly about the marine environment.

I learn more every year about which experiences inspire the most excitement and passion in our campers, helping make each camp more fun and memorable. While planning programs I often think back to the outdoor education experiences I had as a child, and the impact that those activities had in shaping my interest in the natural world and my passion for conservation.

 - Carolyn Woods, PTMSC Education Coordinator 

On Wednesday, May 10, the Port Townsend Marine Science Center invites you to help raise $22,000 for summer camps scholarships and capacity-building to offer more camps through GiveBIG, a one-day, online charitable giving event hosted by the Seattle Foundation, but we can't do it without your help! Thanks to a challenge match from a group of local donors, the first $11,000 donated will be matched dollar-for-dollar. The #GiveBIG campaign only lasts for one day, so follow along onFacebook and the #PTMSC blog for stories and updates before the BIG day.

Summer Camps Change Lives Now More Than Ever!

"Hi, my name is Linnea Harrington. When I’m not in school I like to cook, read, and look in my microscope. My parents met at the Marine Science Center doing a beach seine, so I guess that explains why I have been going there for my whole life. I have attended summer camp since I was 5 years old, and in fact have done every camp that the Marine Science Center offers. I had my first camp the week before my fifth birthday and loved the Marine Science Center so much that my Aunt Jean and Uncle Eric bought me a birthday party (with an Orca shaped cake!) that was donated by the interns at the auction that year. 

My favorite camp so far was Afoot and Afloat. For part of the camp we went out on a little sailboat named Zaca and learned how to take pH samples. We took a water sample by lowering a special bottle called a Niskin bottle into the water. To lower the bottle, I had to lean way over and just then a big boat went right by us and the wake made our boat rock! It was scary, but I didn’t fall in and it was so much fun! Then we took the water and dipped in a piece of paper called litmus paper which changes color according to the acidity in the water. Knowing the acidity of the water is important because shells cannot be formed in water with too much acid. This is one of the reasons why the Marine Science Center is so important, kids like me get to go and learn about the ocean and what we can do to take care of it. 

Last summer I had the opportunity to be a Junior Counselor for the Seal Pup camp for 3 and 4 year olds. I really enjoyed learning to be more responsible with the kids and getting to watch them learn about the ocean. It feels good to give back to the Marine Science Center which has given me so much. I don’t know what my future will hold but I do know that I will keep loving the ocean and will always want to protect it."

On Wednesday, May 10, the Port Townsend Marine Science Center invites you to help raise $22,000 for summer camps scholarships and capacity-building to offer more camps through GiveBIG, a one-day, online charitable giving event hosted by the Seattle Foundation, but we can't do it without your help! Thanks to a challenge match from a group of local donors, the first $11,000 donated will be matched dollar-for-dollar. The #GiveBIG campaign only lasts for one day, so follow along onFacebook and the #PTMSC blog for stories and updates before the BIG day.

Now More Than Ever Help Support Kids Summer Camps

"Hello my name is Willy, I like going to Afoot and Afloat because I get to sail and get samples and do tests in deeper water. Sailing is one of my other favorite things to do. I also like looking at things through the microscope, especially when we found the creature that had 6 legs and this funny tail and big giant eyes, pinchers for a mouth! I also like dissecting things because it’s interesting. The squid was fascinating last year (and gooey and stinky – but that made it great!). I’ve learned a lot about environmental concerns for the ocean, but mostly for Puget Sound. Studying pH and its effect on creatures with shells has been interesting as well as studying sea star waste.

I’m a big Star Trek fan, so I like marine biology because it’s like finding new life and new “civilizations” and “boldly going where no one has gone before.” I also love submarines, the history of science (just discovered George Dyson), and I’m interested in life forms near underwater volcanoes. I’m interested in how discovering interesting life in the ocean is related to looking for life in space. I look forward to coming back again this year and to helping with the Seal Pups camp as well.

Thank you for this opportunity."

On Wednesday, May 10, the Port Townsend Marine Science Center invites you to help raise $22,000 for summer camps scholarships and capacity-building to offer more camps through GiveBIG, a one-day, online charitable giving event hosted by the Seattle Foundation, but we can't do it without your help! Thanks to a challenge match from a group of local donors, the first $11,000 donated will be matched dollar-for-dollar. The #GiveBIG campaign only lasts for one day, so follow along onFacebook and the #PTMSC blog for stories and updates before the BIG day.