The Friends of the Marine Science Center would like to extend our deepest gratitude for all of our generous sponsorships. Each contribution to date has enabled us to assist in the care of the Marine Science Center's special seabird or sea turtle patients, and we are extremely thankful.
The support from our sponsors is greatly appreciated and we can only hope that you continue to be part of our cause in the future.
With gratitude and appreciation,
Arlene Deegan
President, Friends of the Marine Science Center
Our
Sponsors
Relax, Play, Eat, Repeat
Beach Rentals and Refreshments of Volusia County was established in 2009 to meet the needs of the County of Volusia in Beach Concession Management. The company consists of 48 local businesses that operate on the shores of Volusia County that consist of umbrellas, chairs, bikes, board rentals, food trucks, golf cart rentals, beach boutiques, beach campfire rentals, electric skateboard rentals and E-Bike Rentals.
Their contract is governed by the Habitat Conservation Program where every one of their employees that work on the sand year after year go through turtle nesting training with the county of Volusia before they are able to work on the beach. "As beach ambassadors that service thousands upon thousands of beach patrons every year, we feel it our duty to get the message out to the beach patrons in Volusia County on what they can do while visiting our beaches to help keep our beaches clean and to verbally educate beachgoers during turtle nesting season on simple tasks they can do while on the beach to help keep a healthy environment for the turtles to nest."- Melanie Nordstrom, Co-Owner / Contract Manager
Their relationship with the Friends of the Marine Science Center started out with a small idea that was brought to their attention by Tina Sabella the owner of The Ice Queen Trucks in New Smyrna Beach that has turned into a beach wide effort to support the rescue, rehabilitation and release of sea turtles and shore birds that are treated at the Marine Science Center. A few years back Tina decided to come up with a small menu on her ice cream trucks entitled "The Turtle Menu '' where specialty items on that menu can be purchased and a portion of the sales are donated to The Friends of the Marine Science Center. Her efforts were so successful that Beach Rentals and Refreshments of Volusia County decided to implement the menu at many of their locations in the core areas of the beach throughout Volusia County.
You can find Beach Rentals and Refreshments of Volusia County in one of their 48 mobile locations throughout the shores of Volusia County where visitors can relax under an umbrella, get some beach eats from our mobile food trucks, or enjoy some fun on a golf cart rental or E-bike or shop at one of our mobile boutiques right on the sand. The best way to find a location nearest to where you are visiting is to check out the website at www.beachrentalsvc.com where reservations can be booked in advance under the "Book Now" tab.
"It's not what's in your freezer"
"The Queen herself, Tina Sabella, came to New Smyrna Beach and found the perfect opportunity to spend her days doing exactly what she loved. Not only does she get to enjoy the most beautiful beach scenery every day, she has children and adults alike, literally running at her in pure excitement, just because she has arrived.
Giving back to the community comes naturally to Tina and her crew, so during sea turtle season (May 1 - October 31) frozen treats are featured and $1 from each purchase is donated to the Friends of Marine Science Center and the Marine Discovery Center. She even has turtle-safe infrared flashlights for sale if you need them.
Tina hopes to bring awareness to the crucial preservation of wildlife and natural resources in our area, including our beaches, stating, “The ocean is the lifeline to our existence. We must try harder to keep it safe and clean for the delicate ecosystem to survive.” She even educates visitors to the truck on the importance of respecting our sea turtle population during nesting season and is also a proud local sponsor of Oceans of Hope.
All Ice Queen Trucks use compostable recycled material cups and enviro straws and they even go as far as to take the wrappers from all products sold, so you don’t have to worry about it later. Customers are encouraged to be more vigilant about taking their trash from the beach, and if you can’t get to a proper receptacle, anyone is welcome to bring trash to any of the Volusia County Beach Rentals & Refreshments beach vendors so they can take care of it properly." -TheIceQueenTruck.com