KNX Hero: Leading the way to cleaner oceans!

Valarie Van Cleave has had a love for the water since she was little. Born and raised in California, she tells Hero Host Heather Jordan that she fell in love with the ocean thanks to her father.

Van Cleave said he taught her how to body surf and snorkeling in San Diego. Later, she learned how to scuba dive, exploring the oceans all across the world, "... seeing beautiful things and also seeing a lot of devastation."

"I did some research, and the more I learned, the more alarmed I got about the state of the oceans," said Van Cleave. "So, that led me to want to do something to push back against the forces that were really causing the integrity of the seas to be at risk."

For the last 18 years, Van Cleave has focused her work on the International Organization of Oceania . While there, she created their biggest annual fundraiser, the Sea Change Summer Party that's held in Laguna Beach, raising nearly $20 million over the years.

"One of my goals was just to get people to pay attention and learn more about the oceans with the hope that they would be guided to support and join Oceania," she said.

From preventing overfishing to research to banning plastic waste - Valarie Van Cleave has dedicated her life to protecting our oceans and the animals and people who rely on them to live - making her our KNX Hero of the Week!

Check out all our KNX Heroes .