Costa and Captains for Clean Water hired local fishing guides in Southwest Florida for trash clean-up trips around Sanibel Island, following Hurricane Ian. (Photo courtesy of Costa)
November 12, 2022
By Outdoor Sportsman Group Staff
Costa Sunglasses announced Wednesday morning that it is donating $50,000 to the conservation non-profit Captains for Clean Water (CCW), in support of Hurricane Ian relief efforts. The funds will specifically go to CCW’s Emergency Disaster Relief Fund.
The Category 4 storm made landfall in late September causing billions of dollars in damages, and an estimated 130 lives lost. It was Florida’s deadliest hurricane since 1935 .
“Being in Florida for the past 40 years, Costa is no stranger to hurricanes and the effects they have on our communities,” Justin Cupps, Senior Vice President at Costa said. “As soon as we learned the magnitude of this storm, we were in close communication with our friends at Captains For Clean Water, based in Fort Myers. It’s been incredible to see their response, and how they immediately jumped into action to do whatever was necessary, despite many of them losing their own homes.”
“Fishing guides don’t wait for someone else to take the lead on how to fix a problem, we get to work and do what needs to be done,” CCW Co-Founder, Chris Wittman said. (Photo courtesy of Costa) Costa also actually hired local fishing guides for a day of hurricane clean-up, and to provide a sense of normalcy, productivity, and a day’s pay since many are currently out of work due to the storm.
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“Fishing guides don’t wait for someone else to take the lead on how to fix a problem, we get to work and do what needs to be done,” CCW Co-Founder, Chris Wittman said. “Hurricane relief isn’t what our organization was created to do, but since this directly impacts the people that fight with us for clean water, it’s our turn to fight for them–and Costa gets that."
Captains for Clean Water has been on the front lines of Hurricane Ian Relief from the jump. In the immediate aftermath, CCW organized local donation pickups all over Florida, one seen here at D.O.A Lures in Stuart, providing multiple truckloads of supplies to those in need. The $50,000 donation was announced at the CCW annual Restore Gala on November 4th, in Fort Myers, Florida. For additional information about how you can help through the CCW Emergency Relief Fund, visit www.captainsforcleanwater.org . For more information about Costa’s #OneCoast program , visit www.costasunglasses.com .
