By Mike Sullivan, Alumni & Family Services Director
Pacific Quest alumni gathered at Torrey Pines State Beach this past Saturday to reconnect and contribute to a larger effort at protecting our ocean ecosystem. Together with volunteers from the Surfrider Foundation, we combed the beach in hunt of marine debris littering the shores and posing environmental threats. We collected everything from tiny shreds of styrofoam to large pieces of plastic. There were over 200 people total and we gathered hundreds of pounds of garbage in the clean up. Go Pacific Quest! Go Surfrider Foundation!
The beach clean up was a fun and relaxing event. Alumni reminisced on stories from their journeys at Pacific Quest and shared about life in Southern California. I was impressed with the continued interest the alumni shared regarding gardening, exercise, and culinary exploration. They have infused elements of these into life outside of Hawaii, sharing photos and discussing future goals. It is absolutely fantastic to see the alumni applying interests cultivated at Pacific Quest in their daily lives at home. We look forward to featuring testimonials and success stories on our “Ohana Fridays” blog updates.
Pacific Quest believes in giving back to the community and maintaining alumni relationships. Horticultural Therapy Director Travis Slagle and I will be traveling to Los Angeles in March to help promote Sky’s the Limit Fund, a non-profit foundation dedicated to raising funds to help families access wilderness therapy who wouldn’t otherwise be able to do so. While in Los Angeles, Travis and I will be hosting an alumni event at Wattles Farm, a 4.2 acre community garden in the heart of Hollywood. We will be leading a gardening workshop and community service project. We encourage any and all alumni who would like to participate to please RSVP to Mike Sullivan at mikesullivan@15.pacificquest.org.
We look forward to another positive experience of community service, and most of all reconnecting with our alumni families in a fun and meaningful event!