John Marshall, chairman of the Arthur R. Marshall Foundation for the Everglades & Florida Environmental Institute, recently welcomed more than 70 supporters at a recent graduation celebration for the nonprofit organization’s five summer interns.
This summer’s interns were:
• Sarah Denison, 21, from Jupiter, a junior at New College of Florida in Sarasota.
• Casey Hickcox, 27, from Boynton Beach, a senior in biological sciences at Florida Atlantic University.
• Jessica James, 24, from Alexandria, Va., a master’s student in teaching at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne.
• Tomena Scholze, 21, from Burlington, Wis., a senior at the Florida Institute of Technology, where she is studying marine biology, conservation biology and ecology.
• Kelsie Timpe, 23, from Winter Haven, a recent graduate from the University of Florida with a degree in environmental engineering.
“Now in its 12th year, this signature program of the Marshall Foundation encourages the very best young minds in environmental science to become career scientists and lifelong professionals in the education, restoration and protection of the Everglades,” Marshall said. “This is a perfect fit with our organization’s core mission to educate, restore and protect.”
Over the last three months, 55 environmental experts shared their knowledge with the interns, and mentored them as they studied Everglades ecology.
“They not only visited such critical areas as the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee Wildlife Refuge and the various regional watersheds, they even made a memorable presentation at the recent Sea Level Rise Symposium at Oxbridge Academy that attracted more than 200 concerned citizens,” Marshall said.
The Marshall Foundation’s special graduation celebration for the summer interns was held Aug. 2 at the National Croquet Club in West Palm Beach.
“It was particularly gratifying to see the graduating interns as they were being congratulated by proud parents, mentors and fellow staffers, but it will be even more gratifying to see their work products going out to the public and governmental agencies and influencing their actions in the months and years ahead,” Marshall said.
The Marshall Foundation champions the restoration and preservation of the greater Everglades ecosystem through science-based education and outreach programs. Annually, more than 25,000 elementary and high school students in Palm Beach County actively participate in the Marshall Foundation’s various education programs.
Founded in 1998, the nonprofit organization has, in recent years, awarded more than $450,000 in scholarships and internships, planted nearly 100,000 native Florida trees in wetland areas and involved more than 5,000 volunteers in hands-on restoration projects.
For more information about the foundation, call (561) 233-9004 or visit www.artmarshall.org.
ABOVE: Jaimie Goodman, John Marshall, Norm Gitzen, Ray Russo and Al Malefatto.
