Scholarships
MARCO ISLAND SHELL CLUB
EDUCATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS
The Marco Island Shell Club, a 501 ( c )(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the study, conservation, science, history, and appreciation of seashells and mollusks in all their forms, has awarded $20,000 to deserving undergrad and graduate students who are studying marine sciences as well as notable non-profits who further our mission to educate and inform our community including the Bailey National Shell Museum, Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center and Hideaway Beach’s Buddy Day.
The Marco Island Shell Club raises money for these scholarships through donations and the sale of unique shell art both at in-person events and our website www.marcoislandshellclub.com
The Marco Island Shell Club has announced its 2025 Scholarship and Grant recipients, awarding $20,000 to support students dedicated to marine sciences and conservation.
Undergraduate and Graduate Scholarships: Marco Island Shell Club has two endowed scholarships at Florida Gulf Coast University. An additional $2,000 was added this year to each of the endowment amounts. Isabel Kacprowski received the undergraduate scholarship for her studies in Marine Sciences, while Celina Ceballos was awarded the graduate scholarship to pursue a Ph.D. focused on endangered species research.
Isabel Kacprowski: Isabel is a senior studying red tide and organic contaminants. She also takes care of the invertebrate tanks at the Water School. She plans to continue to a master’s degree in marine sciences and intends to remain in Florida.
Celina Ceballos: Celina has been studying Diamondback Terrapins, Gopher Tortoises, and Sea Turtles, starting in New Jersey and now in Florida. She plans to pursue a Ph.D. with the goal of advancing the preservation and understanding of endangered species and ecosystems through research, education, and science communication.
$5,000 Scholarships: Two additional $5,000 scholarships were awarded to Zoe Szabo, who aims to use underwater photography for marine conservation, and Macy Noll, who is studying coral creatures and creating educational materials for children.
Zoe Szabo: Zoe is pursuing a Bachelor of Science Degree in Marine Sciences. She plans to use underwater photography to help people understand the importance of protecting and conserving marine life. She is also working with Collier County on their Sea Turtle Research Project.
Macy Noll: Macy spent time as a child on Marco Island with her grandparents, exploring in and out of the water. She has a double major in Art and Biology and is a Research Assistant for Vester Field Station studying tiny coral creatures. She has created a color and activity book focused on coastal ecology for children.
Grants for Research and Education: Grants were also awarded for various educational initiatives, including a $1,957 grant for seagrass resilience research and a $5,000 grant for a mollusk education program reaching kindergarten classrooms.
Stephanie Sanders: Stephanie, studying at the University of South Florida, was awarded a $1,957 grant for the study of Seagrass Resilience through the Study of Whelk Predation on Clams. The grant will provide scuba training and equipment.
Mollusks on the Move: This program from Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum brings live mollusks directly to students. A grant of $5,000 will bring this program to two kindergarten classrooms, serving about 170 children.
Friends of Rookery Bay: A grant of $1,525 was awarded for educational activities.
These exceptional students and initiatives are dedicated to protecting our coastal environment and the creatures that live within it. We are very proud and encouraged by these exceptional students who are interested in protecting our coastal environment and the creatures that live on and in it.
The Marco Island Shell Club, a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization, is dedicated to the study and conservation of mollusks and seashells and to encourage shell related interests such as shell collection and Shell Art. Shell Art produced by our members and sold at two major Shell Art Sales provides the funds to support our educational endeavors.
Please contact us to make a donation toward future scholarships.
Education/Grants
The Club depends upon the proceeds from the Holiday Sale in late fall and the Spring Expo & Shell Art Sale in March to underwrite other educational programs and grants. Because of very successful sales the past few seasons, we are able to expand our philanthropic activities.
Our grants require applicants to focus on activities that promote the study, conservation, science, history, and appreciation of seashells and mollusks in all their forms.
They are available to teachers and educators working with children from PreK through high school. A grant application will soon be available here on our website. We ask for information about your activity, who will benefit from the activity, materials needed for your activity, and a breakdown of costs for those materials.
An example of a PreK grant is one from St. Marks Preschool program on Marco Island. Their activity was An Introduction to Seashells. The materials requested included 4 Preschool level books about seashells and stories about who lives in a seashell, including beautiful pictures for the children to enjoy. They also asked for a chart of local seashells with pictures and names of shells, and an assortment of shells to match to the chart, sort by color, size, shape, etc., providing for lots of math and science activities as well as literacy skills enhanced with beautiful books. They can also do some art activities with the shells by decorating them with paint or markers and adding a magnet to hang them.
Middle school and high school may want a fish tank for the classroom, or a field trip to the Bailey’s Shell Museum. Bailey’s Shell Museum also offers a wonderful program across all grade levels called Mollusks on the Move. The museum will bring a van to your school with shells, activities with shells, and live shell animals in tanks. Most children have never seen a live shell animal or had a chance to experience the beach. We have given grants to schools or classrooms for this valuable experience. The children learn so much and love the activities.
Zoe Szabo
Macy Noll
In the Community
On Monday, February 19, 2024, members of the Marco Island Shell Club participated in the Hideaway Beach Buddy Day. Approximately one hundred 2nd graders from Immokalee, enrolled in the Guadalupe Center’s After-school Tutoring Program, visited the Hideaway Beach Community and participated in a variety of fun activities, including shelling! Members of the club arrived early to make sure the beach area was filled with a variety of our local seashells. Each child got to search for shell treasures then bring them to the members who helped them identify their finds. Each child got to take home the treasures they found along with a printed shelling guide and bag of local shells.
The Shell Club partners with other organizations and the City of Marco Island in conservation and educational efforts. Many members volunteer at Rookery Bay Estuary Reserve, give talks and guided tours at Tigertail Beach, and share their knowledge of the local ecosystem with various clubs in the area. The Club has partnered with Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum to fund the Mollusks on the Move programs at various Collier County schools.
Marco Island Center for the Arts in partnership with the Marco Island Shell Club supported an art supply distribution program in an effort to support underserved children of all ages who cannot come to the Art Center. Free bags of art supplies were distributed in conjunction with Al’s Pals and the mobile food pantry. The Shell Club designed projects, supplied photos and directions for the projects along with the shells to complete the work.
Also, in the past members of the Shell Club have provided educational programs at DISCOVER TIGERTAIL at Tigertail Beach, at Rookery Bay's National Estuaries Day, and at the local libraries, and have presented educational programs for condo associations and other clubs and organizations
Buddy Day 2025…The Marco Island Shell Club was able to participate in several exciting outreach events throughout the 2025 Club season; and one of them was Buddy Day. A Marco Island tradition of “Buddy Day” at Hideaway Beach, has been a highlight for both students and mentors, providing a day of fun, learning and mentorship. The annual Buddy Day, hosted on Hideaway Beach, offers a variety of activities including outdoor learning, arts and crafts and environmental education for the participating students.Participants include second graders from the Guadalupe Center’s Early Childhood Education Program, Hideaway Beach residents and community volunteers who eagerly awaited the chance to make a positive impact on young minds. Buddy Day is made possible through the collaboration of several organizations committed to fostering education and community engagement and the Marco Island Shell Club is proud to be one of the organizations that participated in this event in 2024 and 2025. Several members of the MI Shell Club taught each group of students about some different shells and how to recognize them as well as how shells are formed. Each group’s final activity was to hunt for shells on the beach that had been “seeded” by Club Members prior to the students’ arrival. The shelling activities were sponsored by the Marco Island Shell Club, whose members put together bags of seashells for the kids and “seeded” the sand with shells for them to find and identify. Many memories were made on this day as students learned to love the beach and the ocean’s inhabitants. The Marco Island Shell Club had a fantastic time participating in Buddy Day at Hideaway Beach! This event was a wonderful opportunity for both students and mentors to engage in fun and educational activities. The collaboration between the Marco Island Shell Club and other organizations to foster education and community engagement made this a special day for all involved.
Marco Island Library Presentation…Several members of the Marco Island Shell Club completed a presentation at the public library on shells and how to find shells specific to Southwest Florida. They presented to a packed library as everyone wanted to know the secrets of shelling and how to be a shell detective. Attendees were able to view some local shells, learn their names and some interesting facts about each, and they also learned how to be a “Shell Detective”. The seminar, titled, "Where to Find and Identify Shells on Marco Island Beaches” was well-received by the more than 80 participants that attended. Several board members of the shell club were at the seminar to convey the club’s mission which is to promote the study, conservation, history, and science of seashells and mollusks. President Becky Miller introduced the speakers and Cindy Wesolowski (Treasurer) and Cindy Konney (Secretary) taught participants how to identify local shells of Marco Island and the Ten Thousand Islands as well as some resources for how to find these favorites on the beach. The library hosts many seminars, and this was their highest attendance in several years which proves the area supports a love of learning about the shells our island is so famous for having. Seminar attendees learned of the importance of eye training and how that is the key to successful shelling. Sometimes shells are easy to spot and sometimes they're hiding out, but each shell has a preferred habitat and knowing where to look is a sheller’s secret weapon. Participants were taught to combine full moon, early morning, and post-storm conditions for a shelling extravaganza. Several of the local shells were on hand for the attendees to see up close and they were able to learn some interesting facts and myths about these shells. They were also able to take home a few samples after the seminar.Check out the chart below for some ideas on how you TOO can be a Florida Shell Detective!
