About the COBs (Chief Ocean Bakers)

A 3rd grade field trip to the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue & Rehabilitation Center in Topsail Island left a lasting impression on 14 year-old Casey Sokolovic. She has been passionate about helping endangered sea turtles ever since she saw the injured and sick turtles and developed an awareness program called “Help Them L.A.S.T. - Love A Sea Turtle”.

Casey bakes and sells turtle-shaped sugar cookies at her school, farmers markets and community events to raise money for the care and awareness of sea turtles. She inspired a Fair Trade Organic Sea Turtle Blend coffee with Joe Van Gogh. 10% of sales are donated to the Sea Turtle Hospital and continues to be a top seller for the coffee company. A website, www.loveaseaturtle.com, was developed to continue bringing awareness to her cause. She continues to make presentations at area schools to inspire students to make a difference. Love A Sea Turtle will be funding 6 weeklong summer camps, The Upstream Downstream Connection, for local Boys & Girls Club members to engage them in STEM-focused water activities.

Casey wanted to create a coast-to-coast bake sale and the devastation of the oil spill and concern of marine life in the Gulf presented this opportunity. Casey teamed up with fellow ocean conservation advocate, Alexa BeMent, to organize the Great Bake for Oceans’ Sake.

Alexa BeMent is the founder of the kids’ ocean education and conservation blog Oceans 4Ever. Alexa is twelve and is a budding writer and ocean conservationist. She can spot a Blunt-nose Sixgill a mile away, and don’t even try to go head-to-head with her on whales, sharks, seahorses or kinds of coral. All this ocean absorption started in the Gulf waters off of Riviera Maya, Mexico, on a family vacation when she was four.

By third grade, her interest and knowledge had built to the point that she managed to galvanize most of her class into becoming ocean lovers via her Save the Sea club – complete with a newsletter and membership card, a Save the Sea store (with member discounts) and a sea animal adoption center.

Then came O4E. At the suggestion of her mother, Cindy, Alexa jumped at the chance to take her act online and to a bigger audience, while still focusing on kids, teachers, and parents, in launching her blog. More than a year and countless new ocean contacts, friends and supporters later, Alexa says her goal with this blog is still ”to get everyone interested and involved in loving and saving the ocean every day.”

After the explosion of the Deep Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico,  Alexa put into motion her back-burner idea for a line of gadget bags to benefit ocean conservation efforts and she and Cindy partnered with Melissa Wisen of Borsa Bella Designs in Washington State to create a line of limited-edition, ocean-themed wristlets to benefit the International Bird Rescue Research Center, the organization in charge of cleaning and rehabilitating oiled seabirds in the Gulf.

Alexa and her family remain committed to helping the Gulf situation for the long road it has ahead, and they feel truly blessed to be able to join their friends and partners, Casey and her family, in organizing The BAKE.

About the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies

IMMS is the only organization on the Mississippi Gulf Coast with the capability and expertise to care for sick and injured marine mammals while simultaneously conducting programs in education, conservation, and research of marine mammals.  IMMS has been a participant of the National Stranding Network for over 20 years, and, as a National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) designee, has been involved in the care and rehabilitation of sick and injured marine animals in the Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama sub-region. In fact, the Institute has developed a full service marine mammal research and rehabilitation center (Center for Marine Education and Research www.imms.org ) in Gulfport, Mississippi.

Every bit helps. Your donations will  help IMMS to respond and treat sick and injured sea turtles and dolphins effected by the oil spill. Your gifts will be used for:

·         Veterinary care and husbandry- biomedical supplies and equipment, medical testing such as blood analyses, microbiology, lab procedures (x-rays, ultrasound, surgery, etc.), food, and medicines

·         Field work – boat and airplane time and animal transport equipment

·         Labor expenses associated with all aspects of care for stranded animals.

·         Supplies for rescue, and rehabilitation of stranded marine animals.

About The Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue & Rehabilitation Center

The Sea Turtle Hospital, located in Topsail Island, North Carolina, is committed to the care and release of sick and injured sea turtles. With direction from Jean Beasley, Animal Planet’s 2007 Hero of the Year, the dedicated volunteers consider it a privilege to work with these magnificent creatures. The STH receives no state or federal funding. All donations are applied directly to food, medical supplies, and operating costs of the hospital. www.seaturtlehospital.org

About Oceana

Oceana is the largest international ocean conservation organization focusing solely on oceans. They are dedicated to achieving measurable change with a mission of protecting and restoring the world’s oceans. Donations help Oceana work toward cleaner oceans. www.oceana.org

About WIDECAST

The collective vision of  the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network is to realize a future where all inhabitants of the Wider Caribbean region, human and sea turtle alike, can live together in balance; where healthy populations of sea turtles fulfill their ecological roles and economic potential; and critical natural habitats are sustainably managed. Donations will support research, management, and conservation actions at local and regional scales. www.widecast.org