Gil Smart for the Everglades

“Every time I get out on the St. Lucie River I think: This is why people love Florida: the water, the wildlife, the sheer beauty. This is worth something, which is why I'm raising money for Friends of the Everglades on Give Miami Day; my personal goal is to raise $400. Your generosity can help protect the greater Everglades, and save this invaluable ecosystem.” 

— Gil Smart, Policy Manager at Friends of the Everglades

Friends of the Everglades is a grassroots, nonprofit organization founded in Miami in 1969 by Marjory Stoneman Douglas that advocates for the protection of Florida's precious natural ecosystems. When pollutants and toxic algae plague our waters, when sugarcane burning harms air quality in the Glades communities south of Lake Okeechobee, and when the health of the Everglades' unique ecosystem is threatened, we educate and activate the public so we can collectively have a positive impact on environmental policy. We walk in the footsteps of our founder, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, by promoting a greater understanding of the importance of protecting, preserving, and restoring the only Everglades in the world.