We at Gulf Coast Diplomacy love to give our visitors volunteer opportunities, especially those that highlight the beauty of the natural environment. Sharon Gincauskas, co-president of Ocean Hour, is always more than willing to meet with our visitors and provide an opportunity to explore our beaches and walkways while helping to keep them clean. Each Saturday, Gincauskas leads beach and waterway cleanups that highlight the power of grassroots action and environmental stewardship.
Gincauskas co-founded Ocean Hour to clean up Pensacola’s waterfront. She and volunteers meet to clean areas by waterways for at least an hour. The organization collaborates with school clubs, similar nonprofits, and other organizations, and maintains a significant Facebook presence to encourage the community to join them for cleanups. When discussing her organization’s impact on visitors, Gincauskas said, “I hope they see that a person or a small group of people can make a small difference in their community.” She went on to say that while Ocean Hour may not be a large organization, it has grown considerably from a handful of friends to thirty to forty people who now attend every weekend. She hopes this highlights how large a small organization can grow.
Gincauskas said, “I think, personally, [international exchange] really reinforces that we are in a global society and that it is not just about our little area. The exchange of ideas is phenomenal.” She explained that these exchanges enable Ocean Hour to receive new ideas, and although they may not always have the opportunity to work on them, they remain in the back of their minds, ready to be implemented when the time is right. She hopes that she does the same for the visitors. To learn more about Ocean Hour’s beach cleanup opportunities, visit the organization’s website at www.oceanhourfl.com or their Facebook at www.facebook.com/oceanhourfl. Here, one can see the organization’s dedication to keeping Pensacola’s waterways serene.
