David and Marjorie Ward

In 1985, Majorie and David Ward founded the Citizens Association of Bonita Beach (CABB) an organization concerned with the beaches on the county and state level, and the preservation of the Florida environment.

Since 1987, the organization has taken an active stand on environmental issues, working with its local representatives to keep off shore drilling out of the area. In 1988 they started the coastal cleanup program, which now covers 40 miles of coastline from Ft. Myers Beach to Delenor Wiggins Pass. They have also secured the funds to complete the Carle Johnson Park at Lovers Key.

As president and vice president of CABB, Mr. and Mrs. oversee the 1,650 member organization. Each year the Wards write hundreds of letters to keep offshore drilling banned from the shores of Florida. Recently, they have become involved in the effort to save Estero Beach from overdevelopment.

The Wards have also helped create a Lovers Key recycling program that is used to raise money for the beach front park, organized the county's largest band of volunteers for the International Coastal Clean Up with 322 volunteers cleaning up the 40 mile coastline. In addition, they started a program at Pelican Marsh Elementary School where second and third graders picked up more than 1,000 cigarette butts from Bonita and Barefoot Beaches. They succeeded in adding Barefoot Beach added to the list for a national marine debris monitoring program.

Funding received for CABB comes from donations and annual fund-raisers which often include bake sales, membership drives and aluminum recycling.