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11-Year-Old Gives Clearwater Aquarium $1,000 To Help Turtles

News Channel 8 Photo by TODD DAVIS

Connor Krajnik helps Danielle O'Neil, manager of turtle rehabilitation, feed Bailey the sea turtle.

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By ROD CHALLENGER

News Channel 8

Published: December 17, 2008

CLEARWATER - Injured sea turtles at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium are getting help from an 11-year-old.

Connor Krajnik, a student at Curtis Fundamental School in Dunedin, loves turtles and has been raising money for their benefit.

"Three years ago the red tide was very bad and there were a lot of sea turtles coming in, and I felt like I needed to help them," he said.

He also needed to do a public service project for class. That inspired him to sell jewelry he made from fossilized shark teeth and shells. In three years he raised $1,000, which he presented to the aquarium today.

The aquarium used the money to buy a stretcher made to carry sea turtles. The device will allow aquarium staff to move turtles that weigh several hundred pounds without injury to the creatures or rescuers.

Danielle O'Neil, the aquarium's sea turtle rehabilitation manager, accepted the check from Connor.

"I have never seen a child so dedicated to a cause before just because he thought he wanted to help," she said.

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