SoundWaters was founded 30 years ago with the mission to protect Long Island Sound through education. Since our founding, we have served hundreds of thousands of students and adults to build a deeper interest and literacy in science for improved school achievement and raise awareness about causes and solutions to dangers that threaten the health of the Sound.
Your employees live, work and play in the region defined by Long Island Sound, a vital but fragile natural resource. Joining forces with SoundWaters to protect the Sound is healthy for your company, your employees, and the community. We offer three different volunteer activities: the Marina Trash Skimmer, Coastal Cleanups, Coastal Cleanups by Kayak, and Team Volunteer Projects. Each activity requires a tax-deductible donation to SoundWaters that goes directly to support SoundWaters environmental education efforts.
Contact volunteer@soundwaters.org to learn more and to schedule your experience.
Coastal Cleanups
Our coastline is the front porch to Long Island Sound. It is also the entry and exit point for trash. SoundWaters invites corporate groups of all sizes to enjoy a day of purpose at the beach while fostering growth and teamwork. Your team will immediately see the impact they are making to improve the marine environment and walk away with a deeper, more meaningful understanding of Long Island Sound and its fragile ecology. Your team will split into groups, collect and remove debris and record the findings. The data recorded will support research and pollution prevention initiatives.
SoundWaters will:
• Provide all cleanup materials.
• Arrange for any parking passes and permits.
• Provide an educational component so that all participants walk away with a deeper, more meaningful understanding of Long Island Sound and our greater environment.
• Share the event on SoundWaters social media platforms including Facebook and Instagram, on our website and in our newsletter.
Participants: Donation
Up to 25 Volunteers $500
25 to 50 Volunteers $1,000
50 to 75 Volunteers $1,500
75 to 100 Volunteers $2,000
Over 100 Volunteers $2,500
Time Commitment: 2-3 hours
Availability: Mutually agreeable date and time
Coastal Cleanups by Kayak
Stamford Harbor is a gateway to Long Island Sound and the SoundWaters Marine Debris Kayak program allows participants to experience Stamford Harbor from a different perspective and make a visible difference for the Sound. No matter if, you are a landlubber, sailor, or wooden-legged pirate, our staff will guide your group on a 2-hour tour through Stamford Harbor while you help clean trash from the water. After filling our trash buckets, we will weigh our catch and record how much trash has been collected. Those not interested in kayaking can participate in a coastal cleanup on land, helping to remove trash before it enters the harbor.
The kayaks we use are 2-person sit-on-top which are stable and easy to control, no previous kayaking experience is required. Our instructors will welcome and guide you through the experience and help you whenever help is needed.
SoundWaters will:
- Provide kayaks, PFDs, and paddles.
- Provide all cleanup materials.
- Provide instruction and support while we are out on the water.
- Arrange for any parking passes and permits.
- Provide an educational component so that all participants walk away with a deeper, more meaningful understanding of Long Island Sound and our greater environment.
- Share the event on SoundWaters social media platforms including Facebook and Instagram, on our website, and in our newsletter.
Maximum number of participants: 30
Donation: $1,500
Event Location:
Cohen SoundWaters Harbor Center
John J Boccuzzi Park
200 Southfield Ave
Stamford, CT 06902
Time Commitment: 2-3 hours
Availability: Mutually agreeable date and time
Team Volunteer Projects
SoundWaters has a small staff and limited funds so team volunteer projects days are an important and valuable resource. Team volunteer projects are designed to give your team an inside look into SoundWaters daily operations. Your team will be split into smaller groups to help the SoundWaters staff accomplish big projects. Projects may include landscaping, small boat repair and cleaning, safety equipment cleaning, building boat racks, program material preparation, painting and more. During the event, your team will build and strengthen employee relationships while helping SoundWaters to pursue its mission to protect Long Island Sound through Education.
SoundWaters will:
• Provide all materials and instruction.
• Provide an educational component so that all participants walk away with
a deeper, more meaningful understanding of Long Island Sound and our
greater environment.
• Share the event on SoundWaters social media platforms including Facebook and Instagram, on our website and in our newsletter.
Participants: Donation
Up to 50 volunteers $1,500
More than 50 to be discussed
Time Commitment: 3-4 hours- generally 9am -12pm or 1pm – 4pm.
Availability: Selected weekdays, April 1 – June 18 and August 19 – October 31
Salt Marsh Restoration Project
Get muddy and help restore a shrinking oasis for Stamford’s wildlife! We need your help to restore one of the last salt marshes left along the shores of Stamford Harbor.
Salt marshes are coastal wetlands made up of grasses and spongy peat mud. They are one of the most biologically diverse habitats on Earth, on par with rainforests and coral reefs, and provide refuge to over 75% of commercially important marine species for at least part of their life cycles. Much of their strength is due to their diversity of plants and animals, but an invasive reed is encroaching on marshes all along the East Coast. It grows quickly and as tall as 20 feet high, blocking out sunlight and crowding out the many native plants that make salt marshes the ideal habitat for many animals.
Within the small pocket of salt marsh at Boccuzzi Park, an even smaller pocket remains that has not been overtaken by the invasive reed. SoundWaters is asking for help from the community to cut the invasive reeds in the marsh, creating space for the re-planting of native grasses. Together, we will ensure this urban oasis is around to support wildlife for years to come.
SoundWaters will:
• Provide all materials and instruction.
• Provide an educational component so that all participants walk away with
a deeper, more meaningful understanding of Long Island Sound and our
greater environment.
• Share the event on SoundWaters social media platforms including Facebook and Instagram, on our website and in our newsletter.
Participants: Donation
Up to 25 volunteers – $1,000
Time Commitment: 2-3 hours
Availability: Selected weekdays, April-November
What They’re Saying
“Thank you again for hosting our volunteer event. I think everyone really enjoys getting out of the office and doing something a little different together and contributing back to such a worthy organization.”
–Karen Tappe, Priceline
“Thank you so much for creating a fun, rewarding and inspiring afternoon! We really enjoyed the coastal cleanup in Boccuzzi Park, and as we saw our trash get weighed, we quickly saw how important cleanups really are. I remember one colleague remarking that the experience was ‘life changing.'”
–Skye Trimble, ITV America
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XL Catlin corporate volunteers are ready for some spring cleaning at SoundWaters’ harbor site.
