For the Love of All Things Ocean

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Gwenevere Persaud. Read her story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.

Gwenevere Persaud doesn’t remember a time when she wasn’t enthralled with the ocean and the life it contained. Growing up near the California coast, her time at the beach or on the water fed her passion. At its peak, she decided to funnel her energy into The Persaud Foundation, a marine biology nonprofit founded to support the ocean through conservation and education.

It started with an educational newsletter called The Persaud Catalog in mid-2022 which, as of today, Gwenevere has written nearly 200 articles for. She covers everything from marine life to how oceanic charts have aided sailors from the 1700s onward.

Slowly, she scaled things up to increase her impact and the foundation was born. She added online classes, creating seven out of eight and co-authoring the other. In her podcast, The Marine Enthusiasts, she and her co-host Skylar Kang discuss marine organisms like, for their Halloween episode, ghost and goblin sharks. Over 16 beach cleanups and seven local educational events attract crowds of all ages. With the help of 40 volunteers, Gwenevere has removed 120lbs of trash from Santa Monica State Beach this year alone. And she still finds time to explore the coastline with her four-legged land-dweller, Shadow Neptune, who shares a name with the Roman god of the sea.

What inspired you to get started with this initiative?

There is no one person, place or film that sparked my passion. I’m from Los Angeles, and as a child, I would often explore the coastline. I’m lucky to have grown up with parents who encourage my curiosity and interest in our natural world.
There aren’t many free and reliable resources for marine biology. I thought that by doing service work, I’d be able to spread appreciation and understanding of the ocean. I also wanted to encourage people to care about it more. All life began in the oceans, and all life depends on them, no matter how far away you are. It shocked me that so many people seem to have so little regard for its health and wellbeing. That inspired my volunteer work.

Tell us about your volunteer role with The Persaud Foundation.

As executive director, each day looks different. Some days are about hosting events. Some are about writing newsletter articles. Sometimes, I’ll spend more time doing administrative tasks or working on our online courses.
We started our volunteer program in March, and we have eight long-term volunteers who work on either our science communication or social media efforts in addition to short-term volunteers for beach cleanups. I’m the primary volunteer coordinator, so I support their work as well.

I’ve organized every board meeting, written every tax return, designed as well as maintained our website, negotiated strategic partnerships and coordinated each fundraiser we’ve hosted. Additionally, I’ve written and produced 18 episodes of our podcast. My co-host has inspired me a lot in my work, too.

What are your long-term plans or goals for the organization?

I’d like to publish more online courses and find ways to create more free options. Additionally, I want to focus on hosting beach cleanups more frequently and in different areas. We began at Santa Monica Beach because it sees some of the heaviest usage in the country. It gets about 8 million visitors per year, and many people throw trash on the ground.

What’s been the most rewarding part of your work?

It’s hearing people say that, through my educational resources, they’ve discovered that they want to go into marine science. Eco-anxiety is a really big problem these days, and I strive to fight against it, so hearing people say that their passion for the ocean was reignited is amazing.

I also enjoy seeing the difference we’ve made after each cleanup. It’s extremely important to me that marine life and people have access to this beautiful coastline without it being ruined by litter.

What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer?

I’ve learned how amazing humanity can be. You’d think I’d come to the opposite conclusion, because it’s disheartening when you look at the destruction people have caused to marine life, the coastline, the ocean and marine ecosystems. But humanity can be amazing when passionate, determined people are united in a cause.

I’ve learned to be as optimistic as I can, because there are always going to be things working against me. You have to push forward anyway. And I’ve learned to be resourceful. Things are unlikely to be perfect a lot of the time. They are always going to be conditions I can’t control. I make the most of what I have access to.

Tell us about future partnerships, programs or events that you are excited about.

I have a beach cleanup on December 13. In January, I have another Oceanic Literacy Day. We host free local educational events to increase people’s understanding of the ocean, especially children and families.
One of the partnerships that’s made this possible is with The Open Book in Topanga. They’re an amazing independent vintage bookstore that has allowed us to use their space. They’ve also helped us fundraise by giving us 20% of any person’s sales who mentions our fundraiser.

Any advice for people who want to start volunteering?

I recommend looking into local organizations that could use your help. There are a lot of different ways to get involved. Google is one of the best resources, along with Facebook. A lot of organizations which don’t have the energy, time or money will post their events there.

Why is it important for others to get involved with causes they care about?

You’re given one life. You have to fit everything you want to do into this short, 80- or 90-year period. Be as passionate, involved and vivacious as possible. One way to do that is by getting involved with your community and trying to positively impact lives. The method doesn’t matter as much as the action.

Do you want to make a difference in your community like Gwenevere? Find local volunteer opportunities.