It’s that time of the year again when we all, as a diving community, need to band together for the benefit of our Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber. That’s right - Chamber Day 2010 is upon us. The date this year is Wednesday, May 5, 2010. (In case you’re not aware of it, Chamber Day is a fund-raiser for our Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber, and is the largest single-day scuba charity event in the United States.)

As you may or may not know, the Catalina Chamber is dedicated strictly to the treatment of diving accidents on a 24/7/365 basis. Although we hope you’ll never need it, having the Chamber available gives you as a diver a vital safety net in the event something should go wrong with your dive. Although LA County provides some funding through a grant, and some income comes to our Chamber from outside activities, Chamber Day provides a significant portion (close to 50%) of the Chamber’s annual budget.

The great thing about this event is that ALL the money raised goes to the Chamber. No administrative fees are deducted from the proceeds, the local SoCal boats donate their time and services, manufacturers donate gear for raffle prizes, the Aquarium of the Pacific donates the facility for the evening event, hundreds of volunteers donate their time, and you (hopefully) donate your money. Last year we raised over $120,000 and we know - especially as the economy continues to sputter along - that that's going to be tough to top this year. (One good note - no price increase. Both Chamber Day and Chamber Evening each have a base price of $90.) Here's what's happening:

• • • The main event is Chamber Day. For your donation of $90, we invite you to a full day of diving (two dives) at Catalina plus a walking tour of the Chamber at the Isthmus. There is an additional charge of $30 for food & airfills, which goes to the boat. All of this gets you the diving and the tour, plus a commemorative T-shirt, and five daytime raffle tickets.

• • • For those who can’t take a day off but would still like to participate we once again will have the Flying Dutchman. This is a mythical boat but a big part of Chamber Day and it’s the perfect option for those who can’t physically be present at the event. Those who choose to “dive” the Dutchman get five daytime raffle tickets and a special limited-edition T-shirt (available ONLY to those who sign up for the Dutchman).

• • • There’s also the Chamber Challenge, where the diving community is “challenged” to raise extra funds for our Chamber. This is done through specific donations (usually $100, but up to $500, $1000, or more), which then hopefully challenges your friends to match your generosity.

• • • We have plenty of tickets for the daytime raffle (you need not be present to win) whether you’re going out on a boat or just want a chance to win some fabulous prizes. Tickets are $1 each with discounts when you buy in bulk.

• • • Chamber Evening is the cap to everything and is co-sponsored by the Aquarium of the Pacific. It features full access to the Aquarium, a sit-down dinner in the Great Hall (underneath the life-sized model of a Blue Whale), some awards, a separate raffle, and the presentation of the final check to Karl Huggins, Director of the Chamber.

Full information on this great event can be found on the web at www.chamberday.org. You can sign up there via our secure server, or by calling 310/652-4990.

But no matter how you do it, we really hope you’ll get involved with Chamber Day & Chamber Evening this year.

Ken Kurtis
Chairman, Chamber Day/Eve 2010

• Re: Chamber Day/Eve 2010 - now open for business!! Walt 08:55:57 03/02/10 (1)
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