The Friends of Blue Spring State Park is a Non-Profit 501(C)3 Citizen Support Organization (CSO) of volunteers dedicated to helping to ensure Blue Spring State Park remains a fun, interesting, educational, and beautiful place to visit! We provide support to the park through volunteering, educating visitors, hosting events and raising funds for specific park projects. The funds we raise provide additional equipment, buildings, programs and renovations according to the needs of the park.
Annual park events include the Orange City Manatee Festival held in January and, in the spring, when hundreds of fireflies emerge at Blue Spring, nightly firefly walks, drawing people from all around the county to the park.
We are grateful for the generosity of several Volusia County businesses, including Riverwalk Pizzeria and Brew Pub, Florida Dive Company, Off the Wall Quilt and Florida Realty Investments. But more support is needed!
Consider playing in one of the weekly Bingo nights. (Participants have a chance to win one of our hand-made stuffed manatees!) Individuals can also join our organization. We have individual and/or family membership which give you 12 free entries into the park annually.
The Friends of Blue Spring park is also in need of volunteers. There are numerous opportunities – from helping with maintenance projects or observing manatees to serving on our membership, fundraising or event planning committees.
Learn more about our organization and current projects on our website, friendsofbluespringstatepark.org.
You can also follow us on Facebook or Instagram.
101 Paws and Claws is a 501(c)3 exotic animal sanctuary and rescue located in Deltona, Florida. We are USDA and FWC licensed, and we provide forever homes for the animals who find their way to our facility.
Here at 101 Paws and Claws, we believe in educating the public about conservation. We shed a light on the impact of humans on the wild world around us through interactive tours where guests can meet our residents — and even feed some of them!
We provide many opportunities, big and small, for the community to be involved in aiding us on our mission to care for these animals. Businesses and individuals can sponsor any of the animals for a monthly donation, and in turn, they are tagged in all social media posts featuring their animal. For a one-time donation, businesses and individuals can sponsor an enclosure, and we’ll place a sign outside the enclosure of your choice.
Food donations are always welcome! We go through almost 200lbs of raw fish a month for our otters and another 200 or so of chicken for everyone else. Fresh fruits and vegetables are purchased multiple times a week.
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