Shout it from the rooftops! Our community is so outstanding! This is a letter of immense gratitude to the members of our local community for the support of The Center For Whale Research’s first symposium and Raise A Glass for Research FUNraiser on July 21. The amount of support, dedication, admiration, and joy at this event was overwhelming!

The generosity of our community is truly inspiring, the acts of giving are countless. Local businesses and artists so graciously donated their products and skills to create an amazing silent and live auction resulting in unprecedented success! Thank you!

And cheers to the volunteers! What an incredible dream team of volunteers who donated their time, skills and efforts to make this event so special. Thank you to each one of you, we couldn’t have achieved such great success without you.

It was truly a magical event that felt like one big giant community hug! Thank you to everyone that participated, supported and donated in one form or another. You have made a difference! And thank you to Ken Balcomb and team for 42-plus years of supporting the whales. We all raise our glass to you!

Thank you!

Lodie Gilbert Budwill

San Juan Island