Posted by Chamber Day 2004 Committee on April 01, 2004 at 17:33:19:
While I'm hesitant to do this on April Fools' Day . . . I assure you none of this is a joke and the facts are real. So here's your first overall update on Chamber Day/Eve 2004, a benefit for the Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber happening May 5.
CHAMBER DAY
Right now we're roughly half sold out for the event, with approximately 200 of 352 available boat spots accounted for. Here are the participating boats, the stores sponsoring the boat, and the spots available for each boat:
Aquatica (USA Scuba) - Spots available
Bottom Scratcher (Open boat) - Spots available
Cee Ray (Sport Chalet & Reef Seekers) - About half-full
Encore (Open boat) - SOLD OUT
Flying Dutchman - Spots available (duh!!!)
Great Escape (Open boat) - About half-full
Horizon (Sport Chalet) - Spots available
Island Time (Sport Chalet) - Spots available
Magician (Westside Aquatics) - Sold out but happy to squeeze "phantom" divers on (call John and he'll explain)
Mr. C (CA Wreck Divers & Rod Francis) - About 2/3 full
Pacific Star (Scuba Schools of America) - About 3/4 full
Psalty V (Scuba Schools of America) - Spots available
Second Stage (Scuba Schools of America) - Spots available
Sea Bass (Reef Seekers) - Spots available
Sundiver (Ocean Adventures) - About 1/3 full
Westerly (Douglas Dive Club, Golden Reef Dive Club, & Dive 'N Surf) - About half-full
You can book your spots either by calling the sponsoring store or our central number at 310/652-4990. (The Flying Dutchman can only be booked through 310/652-4990.) Be aware that in addition to the $75 for the event, we are pre-collecting $20 for food-and-air on each of the boats. You'll get in two dives during the day, a walking tour of the Chamber and its facilities, a commemorative t-shirt, raffle tickets, a shot at on-board raffle prizes, a whole lot of fun, and you'll be helping insure the financial health of our Chamber.
CHAMBER EVENING
So far, we've sold about 50 of the 350 seats available for this evening event, to be held once again at the magnificent Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. Doors will open at 7PM, you'll have over an hour to mingle and stroll through AoP's exhibits (including Shark Lagoon), and buy some evening raffle tickets. Dinner will start around 8:15, with our program (raffle winners, thank yous, etc.) starting shortly after 9PM.
Cost is $75 which gets you in the door, dinner, two non-alcoholic drinks, 5 raffle tickets, and tons of fun. Stores/organizations sponsoring tables so far include: Reef Seekers Dive Co. & Ken Kurtis/Bill Wright, Scuba Schools of America & Rusty Berry/Dan Barrows, LABUE, SoCal Dive Club of the Inland Empire, Burbank Dive Club, West LA Dive Club, Lost Patrol, RA Buck & Barnacle Busters, Sundiver & Ray Arntz, LA County & Tom Wetzel, ScubaDivernet.com & Sergio Herrera, Hollywoodivers & Hal Wells, Birds Love Us, and Sport Chalet. Plus we have numerous "open" tables. You can reserve spots by calling our central number at 310/652-4990.
CHAMBER CHALLENGE
Each year, we also issue a challenge to the general diving community to contribute funds directly to the Chamber in addition to what might be contributed through the daytime and evening events. As of March 31, we were at $5500, which is just slightly behind where we were at the same time last year. Though we'll be publishing a separate list of all donors later on, at this point our Gold Sponsors ($1000 or more) include Sport Chalet and also Kendall Raine. Silver Sponsors ($500-999) include Karl Huggins, Reef Seekers Dive Co., Jim Krasne, and Scuba Schools of America Montclair. There are also numerous Bronze Sponsors ($100-499).
You can get your name added to the list simply by calling us at 310/652-4990 and let us know what you'd like to give.
OVERALL
Last year the event raised around $75,000 and this year we'd like to do even better. But . . . we can't do it without your help. If you'd like to join literally thousands of your fellow SoCal divers who over the years have pitched in to hep insure the financial health of our Chamber, then we urge you to get involved this year, and help us make Chamber Day/Eve 2004 the most successful ever. Thanks.
The Chamber Day/Eve 2004 Committee
Ken Kurtis, Chairman