On February 26, 2011, our good friend Mark Tulin suddenly died. Ironically, he died while helping out during the Avalon Underwater Cleanup. But that was Mark - always helping out and always doing what he could to pitch in.

Mark started volunteering at the Chamber in the early 90s. He quickly moved up to become a Chamber Supervisor and was not only a teacher and mentor to those on Chamber Crew, but made valuable contributions overall, whether it was taking people on tours of the Chamber facilities, helping during a Chamber treatment, or dealing with the aftermath of a diving tragedy.

Perhaps he spoke at your dive club, maybe you saw him on the island during previous Chamber days, or perhaps he assisted if you or a dive buddy got treated. Chances are, Mark Tulin's life touched some aspect of yours. And now we're asking you to reorganize that and help us pay tribute to Mark.

Mark was one of the founding members of The Electric Prunes and he'd frequently go back and forth between the world of rock-and-roll and the world of hyperbarics. One of his signature “things” on stage was frequently wearing a tophat. So we'd thought we'd ask you to help us remember Mark by joining us and PASS THE HAT FOR MARK.

Basically, the Mark Tulin Memorial Fund is a subset of the Chamber Challenge. All monies raised in Mark's name will go to help with the day-to-day operations of the Chamber he loved so much. Everyone who contributes in Mark's name will have a small tophat appear next to their name on our donor list to indicate that you recognize the contributions Mark made to the Chamber and the void that his death will leave.

To contribute and help PASS THE HAT FOR MARK, just go to our donation page and the Chamber Challenge section. Choose one of the suggested amounts or enter whatever amount you'd like below the presets. Then go down a little lower and check the box that says "Mark Tulin Memorial Fund". Enter your payment info and then we'll be able to add your name to the growing list of people who understand how special the Chamber was to Mark and are willing to give something to the place that meant so much to him.

Many times in life, you don’t realize how much someone meant to you until they are no longer there. To have them suddenly taken away makes that pain even greater. And while many of us will mourn for some time the loss of Mark, hopefully his death can spur some of you who knew or met him to help the Chamber continue the work that Mark felt was so important.

• Chamber Day donation page