FOOD SHARE, Ventura County's Food Bank
SECOND HARVEST FOOD BANK, New Orleans
Dear Colleen & Diving For A Cause Members:
Please accept our most heartfelt appreciation for your wonderful support of FOOD Share and those who are hungry in Ventura County. Our families so appreciate your gift of "fish" from your Blue Tuna Spearfishing/DFAC Celebrate Bonnie Row Invitational event. It is simply amazing that your group of spearfishermen caught 350 pounds of fresh fish to help us feed our hungry friends and neighbors! This is something that our families would not be able to afford, yet it is so important for a healthy diet.
-Jeanne Benitez Development Manager, FOOD SHARE, INC.
“In my line of work, there are many opportunities to work with folks in the food industry. Grocery stores, restaurants, manufacturers, and processors donate their excess, unmarketable and close-coded items frequently, both for altruistic reasons and for reasons concerning the bottom line. It is very special when a group comes together to donate wholesome food in a way you could never have dreamed, for no other reason than doing something good for people affected by hunger.
When Colleen Gallagher, founder of Diving For A Cause, reached out to me to let me know about a group of divers traveling from all over the country to meet in a tiny fishing village, at the end of the world in southern Louisiana, I was blown away. Not only was this group going to be spearfishing in the Gulf of Mexico, they wanted to donate their catch to Second Harvest Food Bank!
A very special end to a very incredible week partnering with such a dedicated organization. I am truly grateful that there are groups like Diving For A Cause setting a wonderful example for anyone wanting to make a difference. With a bit of creativity, a little planning, and a spear, anyone can make a big impact!”-Megan Nuismer Herrington, Food Sourcing Specialist Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana
DREAM OF A BETTER WORLD
501C3 non-profit, focused on helping children and families in need, as well as helping to protect our planet and the environment for future generations.
At first, we were excited to learn about how DFAC gives back to local communities by providing fresh fish from the trip to people living in nearby towns. It was inspiring to us because it is such a win/win, where people get to go on spearfishing adventures and also get to make a difference while doing what they enjoy. But, when we found out that they also spend time volunteering in the schools and the women's shelter, we knew DFAC was an organization that we wanted to partner with in a big way.
-Hannah Button, Dream of a Better World
Palapas Ventana
Colleen Gallagher has been coming to our community and giving back to our schools and children since the beginning of DFAC. She has creatied long term positive effects at our schools by improving the facilities year after year with multiple annual visits. DFAC is creating change in our town by planting trees, painting schools and playgrounds, and feeding orphanages with the catch. All this while they make real connections with our children by teaching them how to snorkel and playing soccer games. Our community looks forward to Colleen and DFAC´s visits every year - they are making a really good reputation for the sport of responsible spearfishing here in BAJA¨
Sometimes a small gesture makes a big difference People who have the ability to understand this and do something for others not only deserve our respect but also our admiration.
Thanks DFAC and best wishes for greater success.
David de Carvalho & Tania Teixeira
absolute blue
Blue water hunting equipment that is safe, sustainable, and selective.
Colleen Gallagher, OMER Lady Diver of the Year!
Colleen Gallagher is the founder and busy body of the charity foundation Diving For a Cause which helps raise money and awareness for children with terminal disease. Her energy is infectious. She's diving to make a difference in the lives of many children.
o.m.e.r.
O.M.E.R. is an Italian company. It is the largest producer of freediving and spearfishing equipment in the world.
"Lots of people talk about helping others but you do it. Thanks for the work you do, for leading others to give, and for your compassion for those in need. You're a great role model and friend."
Julie Richardson
dive wise
DiveWise is a not-for-profit organization whose goal is to make freediving and spearfishing safer through promoting safety education in the sport.
Dr. Terry Maas: Colleen, I enjoyed meeting you and learning about your vision for Diving for a Cause. As a nurse you give back daily. Now, with your organization, you have taken the "give-something-back" philosophy to your sport. In the spirit of our mutual friend Bonnie Row, I salute you and look forward to working with you in the future.
dr. terry maas
Dr. Terry Maas, 4 time National Spearfishing Champion and world record holder for Tuna has been diving continuously for the last 54 years. He is author of the Spearfishing bible Blue Water Hunting and Spearfishing and inventor of the Freedivers Recovery Vest. Dr Maas is a popular leader of some of the DFAC trips.
Two thumbs up for Colleen; she's a class act. Thanks for her efforts and I hope many will be blessed. In case you don't know, rather than just donating some money to a cause, she is personally sponsoring people for the cause and multiplying her generosity in doing so. Great concept! Great lady!
JD
moana waterman
Moana Waterman makes high quality carbon free diving fins. We are free divers making only the best diving fins for free divers.
If you haven’t seen this, you should check out Colleen Gallagher’s Diving For A Cause website.
Colleen is an alumni of PFI having taken the Intermediate Freediver and the Spearfishing program offered by Sheri Daye and Darryl Wong last year.
Amazing concept and an amazing opportunity.
Cheers,
Kirk Krack
Performance Freediving
Performance Freediving offers multi-faceted educational freediving courses targeted at a wide range of snorkelers, freedivers and spearfisherman.
Colleen Gallagher: "We brought in several hundred pounds of fish over 4 days of diving that after being filleted was carefully bagged and donated to the local orphanage, Ciudad de Los Niños y Niñas."
Santiago Olatxea: "Luis Angel, Roberto Elias and Manuel, the happiest day of those kids in La Ventana, B.C.S after meeting DFAC, great friends can only deliver great fish, yummy!!!!"
Colleen Gallagher: "After diving all day, we had fun dropping our gear at the beach and we mentored 14 boys from the orphanage and snorkeled for an hour with them. We taught them the finer skills of relaxed breathing, slow easy kicks, and then the wonders in the rocks, eels, rays, scallops and more:) All they wanted was someone to spend a little time with them and they were so appreciative. There is no language barrier in the ocean:)"
Santiago Olatxea: "The most expensive things in life are the ones money can not buy, friendship is priceless, cheers to DFAC!!!! and thanks for spending the most valuable resource in life TIME, with us... many thanks to all."
Santiago Olatxea: "Hello Colleen, certainly all the kids at the orphanage were delighted too, to know that you achieved a World Record, only exceptional people can achieve extraordinary goals, keep up the good work and good stuff will keep coming your way, CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!, Padre Fernando and the kids were super happy to meet DFAC and are so thankful for your donation and the wonderful time they experienced with DFAC group. The diving session with the group at Palapas Ventana, really touched the children's hearts, all the way back the kids were talking about their water experience and the great friends they just met, definitely friendship and kindness do not need language to communicate.
PS: The greatest opportunities are the hardest to see and the marlin was meant to be yours!!!!!"
Santiago Olatxea: "Thanks Colleen, it was our honor to have you all in our institution, please come back and our most sincere thanks to all and each one of you, you are all always welcome! God bless DFAC!"
Endorsements
Boys and girls Town of lapaz
Boys and Girls Town (Ciudad de los Niños y Niñas) is a children's home (orphanage) in La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico.