Chamber Day
Contributor
CHAMBER DAY 2025 - CHALLENGE UPDATE #4
$29,950
(as of 3/26/25 @ 7PM)
$29,950
(as of 3/26/25 @ 7PM)
Talk about a HUGE leap forward . . .
We are tantalizingly shy of $30,000. Certainly, there’s someone reading this who wants to push us past that mark. But let’s look at how we go there. (The last update was $16,800.)
An enormous part of this surge forward comes from longtime supporters of our Chamber Mike Emmerman, Pat Stockhausen, and TJ Emmerman (dad, mom, & son). One of Mike’s jobs deals with disaster prevention and relief. So he’s in a perfect position to understand how vital it is for diver safety to have a resource like our Chamber financially sound. We appreciate their on-going commitment to supporting our Chamber.
At the $1,000 level, we start off with dive club South Orange County Dive Club (SOCDC) who, under the leadership of Konrad Fry not only annually make this contribution but also host a table at Chamber Evening as well (which gives Konrad an excuse to wear his tux). Joining them at this level is GUE Instructor Francesco Cameli who wanted to thank the Chamber for being there in case anyone in the tech diving community, which can certainly involve a higher risk of problems, for being there when needed.
And at the $500 level we have Ethan Bush a regular contributor at this level who is also a the Wednesday night Dive team Leader at the Aquarium of the Pacific where we host our Chamber Eve dinner, and that means that on the first Wednesday in May (May 7, to be specific), Ethan’s team forgoes diving that evening and helps us sell raffle ticket as well as helps you find your seats.
We should also point out a number of “In memory of” donations at the Bronze level including a very special one recognizing Tefa, who could be considered a “rescue dog” in more ways than one. He works out of Millard Scuba in Kanosh, Utah. Here’s Tefa on duty and with best buddy Ted Recupero:

So if a dog understands the importance of supporting our Chamber, how about you???? Who’s next??? Here’s the direct link to the donation page: https://usc.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_88ko1OUej3lAYbI
CHALLENGE 2025 - $29,950 total (Updated 3/26/2025 @ 7PM)
New donors are in bold type and marked with an asterisk.
Diamond ($10,000-14,999)
* Mike Emmerman, Pat Stockhausen, and TJ Emmerman
Platinum ($5,000-9,999)
In memory of Dr. Jeff Sipsey (anonymous)
Gold ($1,000-4,999)
* SOCDC (South Orange County Dive Club)
* Honoring the Chamber’s support of the tech community (Francesco Cameli)
In memory of Roger Hess (Barbara Allen)
Stuart Berryhill
Pacific Wilderness
Eco Dive Center
In memory of Deanne King (Gary King)
Silver ($500-999)
* Ethan Bush
Catalina Sea Camp / Catalina Island Marine Institute
In memory of Tom Wetzel (Patricia Wetzel)
In honor of the Chamber Crew (Mike Peterson)
In memory of Dr. Lee Somers and Lou Prieskorn (Karl Huggins)
Doug Lada
Roger Carlson
Gina Boster
Bronze ($100-499)
* In honor of K9 DM Tefa – a beloved dog (Ted Recupero)
* In memory of Da Boy (Robin Wright)
* Mark Robman
* In memory of Elissa Maclean (Curt Maclean)
Sharon DePriester
Mike Couffer
Nicole Duquette
Chris Cox
Jinghan Zhu
Bert van den Vlekkert
In honor of Mars Brownsen (Anthony Bailey)
In memory of Paul Richard Snitko (Brock Dewey)
Bill Power
Gary Sterling
In memory of Leon Slavin (Henry Gittler & Lisette Lieberman)
Tabby Stone & Linda Takvorian
Mark Perlstein
Debbie Miller
Lynn Dodd
Chris Loos
Under $100
Larry Schack