Pure Florida invites the Southwest Florida community to join in supporting Collier County schools by hosting Cruise for Kids Monday, Jan. 16 through Sunday, Jan. 22 at its Naples location. During the Cruise for Kids week, Pure Florida will donate a portion of the proceeds from any of Pure Florida’s cruises or activities to Champions for Learning™, the education foundation in Collier County, to fund classroom grants for teachers and their students. Cruises set sail at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m., with sunset cruises departing at 4:30 p.m.
“Education is such an important part of what we do here at Pure Florida, and therefore it is essential to our team to support organizations that provide our local schools with the tools and resources they need to truly make a difference,” said Capt. Harry Julian, co-founder of Pure Florida. “We are honored to play a role in enhancing the educational experience available to Southwest Florida students, and look forward to showing our support through Cruise for Kids.”
Pure Florida’s Pure Education program focuses on enhancing educational programming and outreach that teach students about the natural Southwest Florida environment, inspire commitment to preservation efforts and encourage future environmental scientists and marine biologists. Pure Education offers Marine Science Field Trips, which feature a hands-on opportunity for Pre-K – sixth grade students. Marine Science Field Trip options include approximately 1.5-hour and 2-hour educational cruises, sailing from Pure Florida’s Naples and Fort Myers locations. During these cruises, children work in groups to test the quality of local waterways for phosphate, nitrate, pH, salinity, turbidity and other related activities depending on length of cruise and grade level. Schools can also include engineering challenges, such as “Float Your Boat” and “Submersibles” for students to participate in. Marine Science Field Trips are $15 per child and $15 per adult chaperones with free admission for teachers. All programming is coordinated with the Next Generation Florida Sunshine State Science Standards, and curriculum outlines with vocabulary and ideas for additional activities are provided to each teacher.
Pure Florida offers a variety of marine experiences that showcase the natural beauty of Southwest Florida including sightseeing, river and sunset cruises, popular with passengers of all ages. Tours are guided by Coast Guard-certified captains, also master naturalists, highlighting Southwest Florida and the unique wildlife native to this region. While Pure Florida cannot guarantee animal sightings in the wild, potential wildlife sightings include dolphins, eagles, manatee, native birds and more. In addition to its cruises, Pure Florida offers eco-shelling-dolphin tours, fishing trips and charters, jet boat thrill rides, boat rentals, and Jet Ski rentals and tours. The M/V Double Sunshine departs from the historic Tin City, located at 1200 Fifth Ave. S. in Naples. For more information on Pure Florida and its cruises, visit www.PureFL.com.
Champions for Learning™, the education foundation in Collier County, was founded in 1990, and is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that makes it possible for our community to impact lives by enriching the environment for learning through educators and directly with students. For more information on Champions for Learning™, visit www.ChampionsForLearning.org.
About Pure Florida
In 2009, father-and-son duo Captains Lance H. and Harry Julian acquired the Naples-based Double Sunshine and Lady Brett fishing vessel, and have grown the company to include 19 vessels and two locations providing a variety of unique eco-excursions for its visitors that incorporate maritime history, tourism, sightseeing and entertainment. With locations in Naples and Fort Myers, the water attraction company offers sunset and specialty cruises as well as boat and Jet Ski rentals, fishing charters, group events and educational field trips for schools and students. In addition to Pure Florida, the founders are also partners in Marine Team International and Pure Image Productions, providing professional marine consulting, television and video production and photography services. With a long history in maritime productions, Lance and Harry Julian have helped to create some of the most memorable water scenes in film production, with credits including “Titanic” and “Waterworld,” and television credits such as the reality show, “Survivor.” As the fourth and fifth generation working within the maritime industry, Lance and Harry Julian enjoy sharing their passion and expertise with fellow adventurers in the Southwest Florida area. For more information, visit www.PureFL.com or call its Naples location at 239-263-4949 or its Fort Myers location at 239-919-2965.
