Help rescue and rehabilitate marine mammals, educate the public, and so much more.

Rescuing seals and sea lions allows me to feel that I made a difference for that one being.

The ability to get close to the animals and make some sort of connection is breathtaking, even if the animals themselves do not appreciate being captured and put into a carrier. Volunteering with the team in Sonoma and Mendocino counties (north of Jenner) is spectacular—sometimes I think we’re reading each other’s minds.

We don’t know the consequences of our impact on the natural world and not all of them are as obvious as a floating fish net.

This is why I volunteer at the Center. I do so because I want the sum of my impacts on this world to culminate in the most diverse world possible.

When I first started, I thought this would be a fun experience ... I really had no idea just how rewarding it would be.

Volunteering at the Center has put my life in perspective. I always felt fortunate to work in Hollywood. Now that I’m volunteering at the Center, I consider myself again fortunate to be given the opportunity to be part of an organization making a real difference in protecting the health of our ocean and marine life for future generations.

Since I was little I’ve loved the ocean. Growing up, it was so amazing to read about marine life and read about all the discoveries being made.

But I was getting bored just reading about it. I needed a second point of view, a hands-on experience to rekindle my passion. That is what the Center did for me. I get to work hands-on with animals I’d only ever read about and most importantly, I feel like I’m making a difference.

I had no idea how much connection I could feel with wild animals, how much they would touch my heart and make me want to do more …

The Center also renewed my faith in humanity. I am amazed at the amount of people who are so willing to give so much, so selflessly to see wild animals returned to their ocean homes, to learn more about them and their habitats, and to improve methods of rehabilitation that are shared with the world.