Our Volunteer Work continues with: Shark Savers

The boys and I have always participated in volunteer work. When they were very small, I took them to the retirement home in Chant d'Oiseau to cheer up the grannies and granpies and to play with the cats and look at the acquarium. Unfortunately, smoking laws were such that we literally got smoked out and no longer visited. Instead we regularly collected nearly new items for a women and children's shelter in our neighbourhood and also asked for donations to prepare and deliver gift baskets to them for Christmas. The boys helped me in many small ways. Their tiny hands sorted toys and picked out some from their own collection to give to those less fortunate. From visiting different schools wherever we travel to bringing suitcases with clothing, books and games for village children and handing out cakes to them on their birthdays, we have always tried to encourage the idea of volunteer work. The boys doggysat too and are interested in helping at the SPCA! We have also done beach and park clean-ups and now that Frunty and Pit are in Scouts, they are very aware of performing their daily good deeds!

In Brussels, we bought Frunty a pair of red running shoes that looked like a pair of sharks on his feet when the fins were in the up position. Proceeds from these shoes went towards shark conservation. When we arrived in Singapore and noticed shark fin soup on different menus, we started boycotting those restaurants and other places around Asia. Pretty soon we became involved with Shark Savers, an organization which brings a voice to the sharks. Recently we performed a play at Marina Bay Sands during the 2012 Dive Expo! We invited some of our Scout friends to participate. It was a wonderful opportunity to help our beloved sharks and to make new friends from around the world, including Singapore. It also brought out a great deal of confidence in both our boys who chose to perform on stage with an audience. It was quite easy for Frunty. We were very impressed with Pit who is at times a bit more reserved. Well done, little guys! We are so proud of you in so many ways! Keep up the good volunteer work!

We performed a skit by children (and two adults) called Treasures of the Sea to show what happens to the ocean when there are no more sharks. The imbalance becomes chaotic as the groupers and other big fish kill the tropical fish. Frunty played a professional scuba diver with underwater camera. Pit played one of the fishermen who took the fins off the sharks. I was a snorkeller and one of our new friends, Nathaniel, was a greedy pirate who soon learned that there is more money to be found in allowing sharks to live than by killing them for shark fin soup. Scuba divers and snorkellers from around the world swim with sharks for fun. It is a win-win for everyone as they bring tourist money to areas and even local people can earn more from driving the boats compared to selling the fins for profit. In this way, we can all enjoy the treasures of the sea!