Derek Haines tackles marathons and volcanoes for CCMI
Derek Haines at the finish of the 2014 Cayman marathon, part of his $1 million fundraiser for Cayman HospiceCare, with (L-R) Governor Helen Kilpatrick, daughter Lizzie, wife Helen and training partner Cynthia Hew
(CNS Local Life): Veteran fundraiser Derek Haines will be running three marathons and climbing two volcanoes this year to raise $50,000 for the Central Caribbean Marine Institute (CCMI), which has developed a pilot project that will transform how children are taught about the ocean. Haines, 68, will first run a marathon 30 April at Lake Atitlan, Guatemala, which is billed as one of the 10 most challenging marathons in the world.
In June he will climb the volcanoes Agua (12,336 feet) and Acatenango (13,044 feet) that are south of Antigua, Guatemala, followed by the San Francisco marathon on 23 July and the Cayman marathon on 3 December.
Rotarian Chris Bailey will take part in the fundraiser by competing in the Panama full Iron Man in October.
CCMI’s “Reefs Go Live” project offers students and the general public access to real-time coral reef activity, in an informal science setting. Teachers based in Little Cayman use high-tech facemasks and streaming equipment to deliver live lessons from under the water and CCMI’s labs directly to classrooms in Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and, it is hoped, further afield.
According to CCMI, connecting humans to the ocean remains one of the most important and relevant conservation challenges today. Getting young students into the ocean to learn about the coral reef ecosystem can be costly and hard to manage on a regular basis.
The institute is also looking for the project to lead to educational tourism.
Every dollar raised by Haines’ efforts will go to CCMI. The costs of these trips will be self-funded with no administrative fees.
