Win four Disney park hopper passes Photo Credit: http://disneyworld.disney.go.com

Family Fun

Thanks to a fabulous donation from Walt Disney World you can make the children in your life very happy!!! Under the NMLC tree you will find a family four pack of one day park hopper passes. You and your family or friends can enjoy any or all of the magic of the Orlando Disney parks including Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom!!! Don’t have kids, your never too old for a little magic in your life, you could use all four tickets yourself and enjoy a day in each of these magical destinations. Pair these tickets with the round trip airfare from jetBlue and your vacation is almost complete!

Weekend Getaway

Escape with  for the weekend with a complimentary 2 night stay with  Bluegreen Resorts. Choose from the Suites at Hershey, Hershey, PA where you can enjoy proximity to theme parks, a spacious modern suite with  kitchen and full view of the rolling hills of Pennsylvania.  Or, stay at the  Atlantic Palace, Atlantic City , NJ on the boardwalk of New York Avenue where you will be in the middle of the action with restaurants, shopping, and casinos.

Adventure Travel

Gifts under the tree include adventures great and small. As a conservation organization we are thrilled to have so many gifts that will allow the winner to enjoy many of the remarkable habitats around the world. Check out the safaris of South Africa with the Delta and Desert 14 day adventure from Nomad adventure tours, and explore the underwater wonders of Indonesia during your stay at Maluka Divers, courtesy of Reef and Rainforest adventure travel.

Win two nights at the Port of the Everglades Adventrue Resort Photo Credit: www.poiresort.com

For a slightly shorter escape you can enjoy the incredible everglades of south Florida thanks to SunstreamHotels. Enjoy three days and two nights at the Port of the Islands Everglades Adventure Resort in  Naples Florida where you will have access to white sandy beaches, boating, golf, shopping, and of course exploration of the unique habitat of the everglades.

Maybe you don’t mind the cold and snow and would enjoy a little escape up north just as much!!! Well take your two lift tickets from  Saddleback Mountain and escape up north to  Rangeley, ME for the day! Enjoy 66 diverse ski trails for sportsmen of all ages and abilities!

Close to Home

Win this 4 person Sundome tent from Coleman

Not all getaways require you to travel quite so far. Use these gifts to stay close to home and have a fun adventure right here in Massachusetts. Eastern Mountain Sports ,Hyannis has donated the rental of two kayaks for two days, take this opportunity to enjoy the beautiful habitats we have right here on Cape Cod. Why not head to Boston for the day and use the 4 passes for a Boston By Foot historic walking tour, and your ten passes on the Swan Boats of Boston. Or, with a generous donation from Coleman take your new tent and sleeping bags camping at one the many local campsites!!!!

This years tree has no shortage of ways to get away! Whether you plan to use all of these prizes for yourself or give some away as gifts to your friends and family, you can’t win unless you buy a ticket!!! Tickets can be purchased online or you can stop by the National Marine Life Center at 120 Main Street, Buzzards, or mail a check to National Marine Life Center PO Box 269, Buzzards Bay, Ma 02532.

The “Seaside Yuletide” tree will be on display at the Spectacle for the Trees event held at the JFK Museum on Main St in Hyannis December 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 9th, 10th & 11th. The winning raffle ticket will be drawn at 7:30 pm on December 11th.

Thank you, Convention Data Services!

Convention Data Services (CDS), one of the largest private employers on Cape Cod, held a charity golf tournament in memory of its founder. The 5th Annual Douglas J. Fletcher Memorial Golf Tournament took place on September 15th, 2011 at The Brookside Club in Bourne, MA. This year’s tournament exceeded last year’s donation amount, raising $27,000 to benefit the National Marine Life Center, an organization strongly supported by Mr. Fletcher. Raffle co-sponsors onPeak and CDS provided the Grand Prize—a 3-night stay at any Marriot Hotel located in the Americas and airfare for two.

Karen, John, Sue, Ken, and Peter check out the DJF Sea Turtle & Seal Rehabilitation Pool.

Convention Data Services’ Golf Committee, led by newly appointed President & CEO, John Kimball, presented the donation check to Kathy Zagzebski, President & Executive Director of the National Marine Life Center on Friday, October 14, 2011 at the center’s headquarters in Buzzards Bay, MA. They also checked out the “Douglas J. Fletcher Memorial Sea Turtle & Seal Rehabilitation Pool”, newly open to sea turtle patients.

Click here for additional photos and a list of sponsors.

For over two decades, Convention Data Services has been providing state-of-the-art registration, database management, exhibitor lead retrieval services and event marketing to the tradeshow industry, serving the needs of businesses and non-profit associations. For the 4th consecutive year, the company was named to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in the country.

Beyond their professional accolades, we appreciate CDS because it’s a wonderful local company with an ethic of supporting their community.  Their staff are fun and genuinely helpful, always willing to lend advice and ideas as well as their time.  Thank you, Convention Data Services!

Golfers scramble to get into position for a shotgun start!

There's nothing like playing for a good cause!

SCUBAPRO provided the NMLC with a MK25/S600 regulator combo valued at $695. This package includes both a first and second stage. The MK25 first stage offers a machined, marine-grade chrome plated body and balanced composite/stainless steel piston that would make any diver proud. This first stage adapts to external pressure changes and comes standard with the Thermal Insulating System (TIS), which keeps your first stage from freezing up and malfunctioning in cold water conditions. The S600 second stage is constructed of a chrome-plated brass and technopolymer valve housing, a linear air-balancing valve, and a top notch air-balancing system. This regulator’s air-balanced linear-flow valve allows the diver to use less energy while breathing underwater.

Of course with new dive gear you will need an opportunity to use it, and what better place than beautiful Indonesia! Reef and Rainforest Dive and Adventure Travel has put together an incredible package with Maluku Divers in Ambon, Indonesia valued at $1125. The lucky winner will enjoy 5 nights in a double/twin bungalow, 4 dive days with 3 dives per day including tanks, weights and belts, All meals and unlimited tea, coffee, and drinking water.

These prizes can only be yours if you buy a ticket! Tickets are available online or at the National Marine Life Center offices located at 120 Main St Buzzards Bay, Ma. Your not a diver yet? Well there’s no time like the present to learn. You have one year book your travel with Reef & Rainforest, plenty of time to complete a SCUBA certification course with your local dive shop.

To learn more about the other wonderful prizes included with the Seaside Yuletide tree, and how you can see the tree please click here. Good Luck

For the price of a $10 raffle ticket you could take part in this once in a lifetime excursion through Botswana and Namibia! This adventure includes 2 nights inside Etosha National Park, Spitzkoppe Mountian, A Himba tribe interaction,  San Paintings & Traditional dancing, and a two night Okavango Delta excursion. Enjoy game drives, a popular craft market, canoe trips, nature walks, a Chobe National Park river cruise, and entrance into Victoria Falls National Park. Additional optional tours and activities will be available for purchase throughout the trip.

If you would like the chance to win this and the many other fabulous prizes under the NMLC tree buy your tickets today. The “Seaside Yuletide” tree has over $9,000 in gifts underneath. You can purchase tickets online, or visit our offices at 120 Main St, Buzzards Bay from 9am-5pm Monday-Friday. The tree will be on display at the Spectacle of the Trees event held at the JFK museum in Hyannis December 2nd-4th, 10th & 11th.

For our tree this year, jetBlue Airlines has graciously donated two round trip tickets from Boston to anywhere jetBlue flies. For the small fee of a $10 ticket you and a guest could get away to a destination of your choice. Tickets are available at the NMLC located at 120 Main St, Buzzards Bay, MA or may be purchased during tree viewing times at the JFK museum. If you would like to purchase your tickets online please click here.

For a complete list of gifts included with the NMLC tree, valued at over $9,000 please click here

Kristen’s marine background includes experience with the New England Aquarium as a Lobster Husbandry Volunteer, and courses in invertebrate marine biology, biology of marine mammals, and oceanography. Kristen is also currently working towards her open water SCUBA certification.

While at the NMLC Kristen will be assisting with the husbandry of our patients, assisting with medical treatments, preparing animal diets, conducting water quality tests, assisting with volunteer training, blogging on our website and assisting with educational programs. Kristen hopes her experiences here will aid her on the road to a career in Marine Biology.  She aspires to work with sharks or marine mammals. We hope that Kristen will enjoy her time at the National Marine Life Center and gain valuable experiences that she can use in the future.

Mermaid Ball Auction Items. Photo Credit: Michelle Bosch Photography

This year’s Mermaid Ball auction featured an extensive collection of mermaid and marine animal related items! From exquisite jewelry to whimsical house and garden items to adventures both local and exotic, there was something for everyone! Thank you to our Auction Donors who helped to make the 2011 Mermaid Ball a success! When you visit these businesses, please thank them for supporting the National Marine Life Center!

Jack Ahlin
Artisana
Asacks Footwear
Ava Anderson – Mimi Walantis
Barnstable Land Trust
Beachsand Snowflakes
Sue Blaney
Bonnie Blue
Dale Boch
Michelle Bosch Photography
Boston Bruins

Mermaid Ball Auction Items. Photo Credit: Photos by Jeff

Boston By Foot
Boston Harbor Cruises
Boston Red Sox
The Brookside Club
Bungalow 360
Buzzards Bay Dive Center
Caline for Kids
Cape Air
Cape Cod Cannolis
Cape Cod Central Railroad
Cape Cod Jewelers
Cape Cod Museum of Natural History
Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra
Capeway Cleaners
Cassim Farms
Claire Murray
Common Ground
Copper Canoe Gallery
Copper Craft of Wellfleet
LouAnn Corrado
Cotuit Center for the Arts
Gretchen Dietrich
Dreams Come True Program of Massachusetts
Bridget Dunnigan
Eden Landscapes Florist & Garden Shop
Eight Cousins Bookstore
Devon Ellington
Esperanza Mansion
Finger Lakes Winery Tours
The Gateway Tavern
The Glass Onion Restaurant
Green Eyed Daisy
Hanlon Shoes
Heritage Museums & Gardens
Hyannis Whale Watcher
i-Dazz
Kenny’s Salt Water Taffy
The Kinsale Inn
The Liberty Hotel
Lily-Belles Florals
M. Brann & Co.
Paul & Linda McAlduff
Megansett Metalworks
Mermaid Massage
Mezza Luna Restaurant
Nomad Adventure Tours
Off the Vine
Onset Village Music
Rob & Rita Pacheco
Ed Parkes
Sharon Parkes
Pasta House
PB Boulangerie Bistro
Peaceful Meadows Ice Cream
Elizabeth James Perry
Pilgrim Hall Museum
Portland Symphony Orchestra
Preppy Puppy Bakery
Amy Rader Photographer
Sail Away Studio
Sea Rose Trap Company
Sean-Gregory Brothers
Seaside Selections
Jane Shaffer
Six Flags New England
Southwest Airlines
Spa Mairead
The Studio by the Sea
Sunrise Cafe
The Tea Shoppe
Tidal Effects
Tropical Tan
Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical High School
Verde Floral Design
Vineyard Vines
Ron & Marsha Wagner
Janis Wentzell
Willowbend Country Club
Woodruff’s Art Center
Wendy Wyman
Frank Yeatman Woodworking
Zoo New England

Atlantis ($5,000+):
Cape Cod Media Group

Sirenia ($1,000+):
Jeff Luce
Kathy Zagzebski

Triton ($500+):
Luke’s Super Liquors
Richard & Gertrude Williams

Pirate ($250+):
Antaeus Wealth Management
H&R Block
Liquid Products
Sallie Riggs & Mike Corgan
Sessler Wrecking
Jim & Ann Marie Zagzebski

In-Kind/Other:
A Direct Solution/Erica Waasdorp
Alpha Graphics of New Bedford
Michelle Bosch Photography
The Image & Mail Factory
Hiller Chrysler Dodge
Pairpoint Glass Works
Photos by Jeff
R&H Construction
Willowbend Country Club

Date: Thursday, September 15, 2011
Time: 8:30 am shotgun start
Place: The Brookside Club, 11 Brigadoon Rd, Bourne, MA
Click here for driving directions.

$125/single player
$500/foursome

Click here to register on-line!

Tournament registration includes our famous 19th Hole Festivities with lunch, prizes, raffles, and a cash bar!

Don’t play golf?  You can still help by becoming a sponsor or donating a prize for the goodie bags or raffle!  Click here for a sponsorship form.

The tournament is sponsored and organized by Convention Data Services in Bourne, a company Doug founded that provides state-of-the-art registration, database management and exhibitor lead retrieval services to the tradeshow industry serving the needs of businesses and non-profit associations. In the first four years, the DJF Golf Tournament raised $67,000 to support the National Marine Life Center’s marine animal rehabilitation, science, and education programs, and the building of NMLC’s new marine animal hospital.

Thank you, CDS!  Thank you golfers, sponsors, and donors!

We thought we would give you a little sneak peak!

Win a 14 Day Delta & Desert South Africa Tour at the 4th Annual Mermaid Ball!

Bidding on events and experiences is often a highlight! We have items of all sorts and sizes in this category. Win a round of golf at Willowbend, or the Brookside Club, or tickets on the Hyannis Whale Watcher Cruises or a Boston Harbor Cruise. Become a certified SCUBA diver with Buzzards Bay Dive Center. Pamper yourself with a spa or facial, take the kids to Plimouth Plantation, or the Franklin Park Zoo or win accommodations at the luxurious Liberty Hotel in Boston or the Esperanza Mansion in the Fingerlakes Region of New York. For those looking for a bigger adventure you may want to try and get your paws on the 14 day Desert & Delta South African Camping Tour from Nomad Adventure Tours, or the round trip tickets on Southwest Airlines!

Dinner for Two on The Cape Cod Central Railroad: Available at teh Mermaid Ball

If you would prefer to stay closer to home and have a night on the town we have gift certificates from The Cape Cod Central Railroad, The Mezza Luna,  The Glass Onion, The Kinsale Inn, and The Gateway Tavern ! For the culture lovers you can add tickets to a show at the Cotuit Center for the Arts, or The Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra.

Of course we also have more  tangible  items to take home and remind you of your wonderful evening at the Mermaid Ball! We have a beautiful mermaid wreath from Cassim Farms, a unique Lobstah Rockah and end table from the Sea Rose Trap Company, and two adirondak chairs created by the Upper Cape Regional Technical High School. Also up for grabs is a full size handmade mermaid quilt,  a signed Boston Bruins hockey puck, and a signed Boston Red Sox baseball!

Lobstah Rockah available at the Mermaid Ball

Artwork  will include pieces by New England Artists  Karen Rinaldo, Matthew Smith , and John Woodruff! There will also be a plethora of jewlery, gift certificates to local merchants, and something for just about everyone including the family dog thanks to our friends at Preppy Puppy Bakery!

Don’t miss out on the wonderful evening, get your tickets today! Remember that all the proceeds from the Mermaid Ball including the live and silent auctions benefits the National Marine Life Center’s Marine conservation and education programs!