All posts tagged: verterans

Birthday Wishes, Give With Love, xo

On 13th October 2013, I started a birthday tradition, whereby I selected a group of charities to raise awareness and funds for.  I asked friends and family to kindly make a donation in lieu of gifts.  In my twenties, I had reached a point in my life where I no longer needed to accumulate more things.  I love presents just as much as anyone, but the truth was I didn’t need them.  I would rather friends and family give what they would have spent on a birthday present to a charity instead.  So, with that in mind, I used my blog as a platform to help raise awareness for the selected charities over the years.  This year, the theme is blue.  It is the commonality between all three charities I would like to highlight this year.  Blue is representative of the ocean, which directly correlates to both Force Blue and Grand Cayman Eco Divers: Coral Nursery Conservation Program.  Having spent nearly my entire life living on an island, I am drawn to the ocean.  I …

FORCE BLUE: A Call of Duty to Heal the Ocean

I had the honor of meeting U.S RECON Marine Sergeant Rudy Reyes and listening to him share his story about his experience as a former combat diver and now a veteran on a mission to help protect and restore the marine environment. I cannot truly capture in words how profound his story is or the eloquent way he spoke about his life’s journey. Nor, can I begin to fathom the magnitude of the experiences he has been through and endured as a combat diver. All I can humbly offer is that listening to him speak with such humility, eloquence and passion I was incredibly moved by his words and a part of me was changed forever by his heartfelt story. His life’s journey has lead him to a new call of duty, dedicating his life’s work to empowering other Special Ops veterans to join FORCE BLUE’s conservation efforts to help restore critical marine ecosystems around the world. While on his first trip to the Cayman Islands two years ago, diving off the shore of Sunset …